The Time Warp
by MaybeIShouldGetACat
Summary: Cannon through 7x07 then AU with slight cannon S9. What if Arizona and Callie were broken up when a terrible accident occurred? Can they find their way back to each other despite their personal tragedies? Did their time apart destroy all hope? Read here to find out in this S7/S9 ENDGAME Calzona mash-up! With some heavy AZ/Teddy friendship.
1. Teaser-Prologue

**A/N: This story has been nagging at me for a while and I just had to get it out. I loved season 9…save for the last few episodes. Although the acting was fantastic. But I also loved season 7 where Arizona and Callie worked their way back to each other. And I know, I know that they'll have to do that yet again in the coming season.**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine and belong to the producers of Grey's Anatomy. I'm just borrowing them for a little bit.**

**Any mistakes are mine. Sorry!**

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By the end of her third week in Malawi Arizona Robbins just couldn't take it anymore. Yes, she expected to cry at night, to grieve for the lovely woman she had left behind…well, broke up with, in Seattle. But now, Arizona wasn't just crying at night. She cried in the clinic and she teared up during surgery as she worked diligently on the tiny humans she had flown half a world away to save.

As the perky peds surgeon became more despondent, it did not escape the notice of her co-workers, one of whom finally asked her why she was crying. After telling him that she missed her girlfriend he asked if she wanted to go back home. Expecting to say no, Arizona was surprised when the word "yes" came out of her mouth instead. The clinic manager nodded understandingly and after working out logistics Arizona found herself on a puddle jumper on her way to Lilongwe International Airport.

Flying made the blonde nervous. She never felt closer to death than she did in a plane. The first bit of turbulence caused her stomach to flip and she grabbed the edge of her seat, knuckles white. The co-pilot looked at her over her shoulder, telling her to buckle up as another air pocket jostled the small aircraft. She tried to comply as the plane shook more violently, alarms starting to blare in the cockpit. Arizona's stomach leapt into her throat as the plane began a rapid descent towards the mountains surrounding the Rift Valley. She tried once more in vain to force the buckle together before the plane was ripped apart and everything went black.

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**A/N 2: So this is cannon through 7x07 and AU from that point on, though it does involve elements of season 9 cannon. What if Arizona and Callie were broken up when the plane crash occurred? Can they find their way back to each other despite their personal tragedies? **

**A/N 3: Thank you for reading this little teaser. If you liked it, please tell me what you think. If you don't like it, well, please tell me what you think (no flames though please).**


	2. Part I: Ch 1

**Thank you all so much for your feed back. Here is the next chapter. I apologize for any mistakes!**

**Also some of the story, like this chapter, will have parts told retrospectively.**

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The brunette studied the quiet blonde who sat across from her. "So, are you ready to talk about it Arizona?" Her voice was soft and soothing and filled the space between them.

The woman in question chewed her lip, looking down at nimble fingers that pulled at the hem of the blanket covering her lap. "What is there to talk about?" She mumbled. Though still dull and lifeless, Arizona's voice held more power than it had in meetings past.

"You know what I mean." Aimee prodded softly as she placed a glass of water on the table in front of the other woman. "Do you think you can talk about it today?" She leaned forward, inviting Arizona to open up to her.

Blue eyes flashed up to meet those of her therapist. Still chewing her lip she nodded slowly, hands gripping tightly at the blanket. "My fricken' plane fell out of the sky."

_**Three months prior**_

_She felt something warm and hard against her back, blinking open her eyes she found herself staring up into the bright African sun. As her eyes were assaulted by the light, her ears were being assaulted by a loud piercing noise. Wondering where it was coming from she turned her head to look to the side, before realizing that the sound was ripping from her own throat. Forcing herself to stop and swallow she pushed herself up to a seated position almost screaming again as a bolt of pain shot into her hip. When she looked down, she saw her left leg was bent at a weird angle and there was a spreading stain of blood on her khaki capris. Ripping the saturated fabric, she let out an involuntary whimper at what she saw._

_Shiny white femur poked out of the bloody mess that was her leg. Arizona had seen many comminuted femur fractures on Callie's table in the OR, but never expected to have one herself. She looked around frantically, spying the smoking wreck of the plane a couple meters away. Gritting her teeth she tried to slide backwards towards the broken vehicle, almost blacking out as the first inch jostled her leg. She called out for the two men who were on the plane with her but was met with deathly silence._

_Finally making it to the plane Arizona called out once more and was again met with silence. She rested against the hull and evaluated her leg once more before quickly ripping off the bottom of her shirt and fashioning a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. As she was looking around for something within reach to splint her leg a flash of brown and white caught her eye. _

_Swallowing against the increasing nausea she affixed her eyes on the moving object, almost vomiting when she recognized the vulture that was very interested in the head and torso that were now visible spilling out of what used to be the cock-pit. Though she couldn't see the face, Arizona recognized the stocky build of the co-pilot, the one who had warned her to buckle her seat belt. She also had a very clear view of the vulture that was now trying to make a meal out of the man._

_The blonde shouted out, trying to startle the scavenger. She even resorted to banging her fist against the metal but the large bird did not startle. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself towards the body and the bird, finally causing the creature to take flight. Reaching out a shaky hand, Arizona felt the neck of the co-pilot who was now within reach._

**Present day**

"He was dead. Probably died on impact. I couldn't move any further around to assess him. But he had no pulse and there was a spreading puddle of blood under his head."

"And the pilot?" Aimee asked gently.

The woman in front of her shrugged a shoulder, the hem of her blanket once again capturing her attention. "He had to be dead too. I couldn't get up to look into the other side of the plane. The only thing I saw was his helmet about two meters to my right with another one of those damned birds. At the time I was so preoccupied at trying to reach something…anything to splint my leg that it didn't realize why a scavenger would be pecking at just a flight helmet."

The implication of Arizona's words caused the brunette to swallow audibly and Arizona's eyes flashed up to meet hers. "Um…was that enough for today? I don't think I can talk about any more…I don't want to talk about any more right now."

Aimee nodded sympathetically. "You did well Arizona. How about I see you again on Friday and you can tell me how your first physical therapy appointment went. And…if you want, we can continue our current conversation."

Arizona nodded, her hands moving suddenly to the wheels of the chair to which she was confined. "Friday." She confirmed with a brisk nod of her head before spinning and wheeling quickly out of the therapist's office and into the bright outdoors that burned under the San Diego sun.

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**I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think!**


	3. Part I: Ch 2

**A/N: As most reviewers requested, here is a longer chapter. It has the same retrospective format at the previous chapter. Thank you for your reviews and I hope you enjoy this!**

**A/N: And, as always, any mistakes are mine.**

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Daniel Robbins watched his daughter as she took several unsteady steps between the parallel bars before turning to face the mirror at the end of the room. As the blonde looked at herself he saw her start to wobble and rushed up to catch her before she could fall.

"Thanks." Her voice came out a choked whisper as her father lowered her back into her wheelchair and the physical therapist helped her unstrap the shiny silver prosthetic that now replaced her left leg.

"You did well today Arizona." Daniel said softly, rubbing his daughter's shoulders.

She looked up at him, blue eyes watering with tears. "I barely took four steps Dad." The blonde clenched her jaw and looked up at the ceiling, willing the tears to stop before they spilled out onto her cheeks.

Her physical therapist, Brian, straightened up, holding his patient's new prosthetic limb and looked down at her with a gentle smile. "He's right Arizona. You did very well. Most people don't make it past balancing on the limb during the first appointment and you are already taking steps on it. It's great progress."

Arizona fixed her eyes on him. "I just want my life back," she said tiredly as her father continued to squeeze her shoulders before bending down and dropping a kiss on her head.

Brian studied the father and daughter before him. "You're well on your way Arizona. You just have to keep remembering what you want. And fight like hell for it. How's your pain?" He got his answer as her eyes quickly flicked away from his and back down to her hands in her lap. "Okay okay. I know you're going to tell me its fine. But let me just stop you now. I won't believe you when you say that." He chuckled as her eyes snapped back up to his, her jaw slightly dropped.

"How did you…"

"I've had hundreds of patients Doctor Robbins. And within one meeting I could tell you were going to be one of my most motivated, but also one of my most stubborn patients ever. Work hard, but don't push it too much because that will only set you back days at a time. Continue taking your pain medication but also warm compresses on that leg. It'll help." He smiled as she nodded slightly and her father mouthed his thanks over her head. "See you in two days."

"See you then Brian. Thank you again." Daniel said as he wheeled his daughter out of the room. Once they were alone he let her take over wheeling herself as he walked beside her. "I am so proud of you sweetheart."

Despite her heartache, the blonde tilted her face up and him and afforded him a small smile. "I just want to get better. I need to get better. I miss her so much…so much."

"I know." He helped her stand and balance on her remaining foot in order to pivot and get into the car. Once he stowed her wheelchair in the back of the car and started driving towards her therapist's office, he spoke again, "Have you tried calling her again?"

The blonde shook her head as she fiddled with her seatbelt. "She made it pretty clear that she didn't want to talk. But once I get back to Seattle…maybe she'll be willing to talk face to face. But I can't…I can't go back yet. Not until I'm me again."

* * *

"How did PT go today Arizona?" Aimee asked as she set a glass of water in front of her patient.

"Well…I'm less coordinated than a toddler, but it's a start right?" She offered a small smile as she swirled the water around in the glass before taking a big gulp of the refreshing liquid.

The psychiatrist was pleasantly surprised by the blonde's good mood and considered if she should risk broaching the topic they had discussed at their prior meeting. But before she could say anything her patient beat her to it.

"Where did we leave off last time?"

Surprised by Arizona's forwardness, the brunette looked down at her notes out of habit. Not that she needed it, she couldn't forget Arizona's haunting story. "You were trying to splint your leg…"

_**Three months ago**_

_The hot desert sun beat down on her as she strapped her leg to the only thing within reach, which was a scrap of metal from the fuselage. The damn birds were back and Arizona was too exhausted to fight them off. Both of the men who had been on the plane with her were dead and when the blonde realized why the vultures were so interested in pilot's helmet, she immediately lost her lunch in the dirt next to her._

_Well on her way to being dehydrated, Arizona didn't know what to do. There was no water, there was no food, and night was approaching fast, bringing with it the cold winds and all the desert's deadly treasures._

**Present day**

"The first night was so cold. I don't remember much of it. The metal of the plane was still warm from the daytime sun but everything else was frigid. The wind was howling, but at least it blocked out the noise from those fucking birds. In hindsight I should be thankful for the vultures though… because they protected their find which kept more deadly predators from coming close. But…what I woke up to the next day is something that I cannot forget…"

_**Three months ago**_

_The sun was already high in the sky when Arizona opened her eyes again. And immediately she wished she hadn't. The vultures had done their work, leaving only bloated tattered remains beside her. Though she had nothing left to throw-up, Arizona found herself gagging violently, spitting bile into dirt._

_Once her stomach had stopped twisting, she grabbed the only thing within reach, a seat cushion, and leaned over propping it against what was once the co-pilot to shield most of his remains from her view._

_She once again rested against the plane as the desert heat, the pain in her leg, and her throbbing headache pulled her back into unconsciousness._

**Present day **

"I only remember bits and pieces of the next two days. I remember eating beetle…one of those big ones that they show on those stupid wilderness reality TV shows. At one point I was so thirsty that I considered drinking my pee…I don't remember if I did. I know one night it rained briefly and I was able to catch some water. I think that rain storm is why I didn't die that night. But I also think that's what hastened the infection in my leg."

"How was your pain?" Aimee asked, listening intently to every word coming from her patient's lips.

"Bad…but I was so delirious. The pain had been a constant for three days. Never wavering. Maybe I acclimated to it or maybe I was just so close to death that I couldn't afford to notice it anymore."

"What do you remember?"

Arizona paused and closed her eyes briefly and Aimee was immediately worried that the blonde was about to shut down as she had so many times before during her previous two months of counseling. She was surprised when blue eyes once again focused on her.

"Callie. All I could think about was Callie. How stupid I was to leave her at the airport and how all I wanted was to make it home just to hear her laugh and feel her lips on mine again. It's what got me through..."

_**Three months ago**_

_The third night Arizona slipped in and out of a feverish sleep. The only constant was the brunette in her dreams. They would be similar dreams; Callie and Arizona in bed together, Callie and Arizona dancing in her apartment, Callie and Arizona making love. And always, always Arizona would startle awake in the middle of the memory. Her heart would race and her sunburnt skin would be diaphoretic and clammy despite the freezing night air before she would fall back into another fever dream._

_Four days after the plane crash, she had said her goodbyes and was waiting for the end. She didn't have the energy to survive for much longer. She couldn't raise a hand to pick the bugs out of her infected leg wound and she was pretty sure that she was two minute away from septic shock. "Good." She thought as she eyed the ever present vultures that had been keeping a vigil since her first fever spike 36 hours prior. "Maybe my toxic blood will kill you too." She mumbled at the scavengers that eyed her greedily. She tried to heave a short laugh which barely caused her chest to rise and sent her into a coughing fit. Watching the bloody sputum spray from her mouth she shut her eyes and waited for the end._

**Present day**

"I was going to die. The sun was setting and I was going into the light…but that light turned out to be the headlights from a truck…"

_**Three months ago**_

"_Thandiza! Thandiza!" The ground vibrated under her as small feet pounded the ground and she vaguely registered the cries of a boy rapidly approaching her._

_The blonde struggled to keep her eyes open as the child repeated the word over and over again. Somewhere in the back of her foggy mind, she recognized the Chichewa word for help and noticed a bigger man now headed towards her with a bottle of water in his hand. "__Mundithandize." Please help me, she mumbled out in the same language, her tongue feeling thick in her throat as her eyes started to slide shut again._

_She forced them open again as small hands began to slap her sunburnt cheeks and she felt a small amount of relief as cold water was poured over her head before the bigger man, likely the child's father, tilted her chin up and poured some down her throat. "We help," came his soft reply…_

**Present day**

"They saved me." Arizona finished her story. She leaned forward and picked up the glass of water that was on the table in front of her. She studied the clear liquid that was symbolic of her survival before taking a large gulp and resting back in her wheelchair. Despite her exhaustion from the conversation, she realized that she felt lighter than she had in months.

Aimee had tried to remain professional, but she couldn't help the sigh of relief that left her lips. "Do you know who they were?"

"No idea." Arizona shook her head. "I think I passed out when they moved me into the bed of their truck. The pain from the movement of my leg was too much to for me to handle. The next time I woke up…that I can remember…I was in a bed at John's Hopkins with my leg in an external fixator and Silvadene was slathered on my sunburnt skin."

"What do you mean the first time you woke up that you could remember?" Aimee asked intently as her patient continued to swirl the water around in her drinking glass.

Arizona chuckled bitterly. "Apparently I was lucid shortly after my arrival in Baltimore and immediately withheld consent for an amputation."

"You don't remember doing that?"

"No. I mean, I know it's something that I would do. But I have no recollection of the conversation. The thing is though…when I was sitting against that plane on the second day…when there was still hope of rescue…I knew that if I survived it wasn't going to be in one piece. I knew that second day that the leg was already lost."

"Yet you still withheld consent."

"Like I said…I don't remember…but it was inevitable." The blonde rested her left hand on her thigh, her fingertips slightly curled over the smooth curve of the residual limb where it ended, eight inches below her hip.

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**Well, I hope you enjoyed the longer chapter. **

**A/N: What do you think of the formatting? This is my first attempt at ff. Should I continue using the Present day v. _Three months ago_ headers. I think it helps with the time line, especially through the rest of Arizona's counseling sessions. But are the headers awkward? Should I remove them and let it be understood that italics are flash backs?**

**A/N: Also, for those that are interested, Silvadene is an antimicrobial burn cream...it's awesome. And...according to my research, Chichewa is one of the native languages in Malawi. I'm not sure if the translations for 'help' and 'please help me' are 100% accurate but cross checking came up with the same or minor derivatives of the words, so I'm just gonna roll with it.**

**A/N: As always, please let me know what you think. Is there anything you want to see in this story? - I have ideas scribbled down in my notebook but not all plot details are set in stone. I am open to ideas.**


	4. Part I: Ch 3

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your feedback on the last chapter. For those of you who asked if there were any news reports, I would think that there wouldn't be. Of course the crash in cannon would make the news because it was 6 doctors who crashed in America on their way to a highly publicized surgery. But in this case, it was one doctor, on a flight that was scheduled spur of the moment, in a foreign country. Probably not as likely to make the news.**

**A/N: In terms of chapter length, this one is about the same length as the previous chapter. I cannot promise consistent chapter lengths though. While I've been writing I know where the chapter needs to start and kind of have an idea of where it needs to end and I just write until I'm satisfied. I hope that's alright with everyone.**

**Here is the next chapter, as always any mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy it.**

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Aimee smiled as her patient walked into her office for the first time since they'd met. "Well look at you." She smiled as Arizona limped into her office, leaning heavily on her metal cane.

Arizona met her smile with a small one of her own. "Yeah I've progressed from toddler to geriatric in two weeks." She said lightly as she lowered herself onto the couch.

The therapist studied her carefully. The blonde looked healthier that she'd ever seen her. Dressed in cute jeans and a blouse, she wore light make-up and had a slight curl to her hair. "So today's a good day?"

"More or less," she replied. When the brunette gestured for her to continue she started again. "I've been thinking about Callie a lot. How much I miss her and how much I love h-her." There it was, that ever present crack in her voice when she spoke of the Latina. Arizona rolled her eyes up towards the ceiling, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I keep wondering if I made the right decision to come to San Diego for my recovery instead of Seattle."

"Well, your parents are here." Aimee supplied.

"I know…" The blonde bit her lip before replying, "But Callie's there."

Her therapist nodded understandingly. "Maybe a good thing to talk about today would be why you made the decision to come here versus going back there?"

Arizona pondered her statement for a moment before giving a slight nod of her head…

_**Three months prior**_

_Peter, an orthopedic surgery resident at Johns Hopkins, checked in on his newest patient who had arrived two days prior. While she was sleeping, he checked her external fixator and evaluated the infection in the leg. He jotted a note in her chart, documenting the worsening infection before increasing the infusion rate on her Gentamycin drip. Just as he finished his documentation he noticed sleepy blue eyes staring up at him. "Welcome back Dr. Robbins." _

"_Do I know you?" She croaked out, her voice hoarse. She nodded appreciatively as he brought the straw of a water cup to her lips. _

"_Kind of. I was an intern the year you left for Seattle. But I worked with Dr. Thomas, our orthopedic attending, on your external fixator when you arrived."_

_Arizona looked down and for the first time noticed the structure encasing her leg. "It's still there…" She mumbled, dropping her head back to the pillow, a sense of relief flowing through her body._

"_Yes, you withheld consent for amputation so we repaired it the best we could and are now trying to get your infection under control with antibiotics and pressors." Peter watched as the woman in the bed processed this information. "I'll be back to check on you in a few hours."_

_Arizona nodded her acknowledgement before he walked out of the room. Staring up at the ceiling, the blonde tried to make sense of what was going on. She knew Dr. Thomas so she knew she was at Johns Hopkins. She just didn't remember how she got here. And she certainly didn't remember the conversation the resident had just mentioned. The last thing she remembered was water being poured down her throat as she sat in the dirt beside the plane…_

**Present day**

"Like I told you before, I don't remember any of the conversation that the resident told me about. All I knew at that moment in time was that my leg was still attached to my body. I cannot tell you how relieved I was. I thought I was finally catching a break." The blonde paused for a moment before continuing, "I know the first thing I should have done was call my parents, but I was fairly certain the hospital had already done that for me."

"What did you do instead?" Aimee prompted.

"I called Calliope…"

_**Three months ago**_

_Arizona felt flutters in her chest as she used the bedside phone to dial a number she knew by heart. After three rings, there was a click and she heard the most beautiful voice. "Hello?" Callie asked sleepily._

_The blonde smiled to herself remembering how cute the Latina was when she was just waking up. "Cal-Calliope." She breathed._

_There was a pause before a much more awake voice replied, "What the fuck do you want?" Callie spit into the phone._

_The blonde felt her heart start to break with Callie's hateful tone. "Callie…I just…I need to tell you something." She started, preparing to tell the other woman about the accident, how she was injured, and how thoughts of the Latina kept her alive. Before she could get even a word of that out, she was abruptly cut off._

"_I don't care what you have to say to me Arizona. Just leave me alone." There was a click and the dial tone started as Arizona lowered the phone back to the receiver with a shaky hand…_

**Present day**

"She wanted nothing to do with me." Arizona said sadly. "Over the next three days I was at Hopkins, I tried calling her many more times. I had hoped if I could just get her to listen…tell her how badly I was hurt…maybe she would be willing to talk to me."

"Did you ever get to tell her about your injury?"

The blonde shook her head ruefully. "No. The next time I called she picked up and told me to stop calling before I could even get a word in edgewise. But I was so desperate and I wasn't thinking rationally…

_**Three months prior**_

_Arizona hit redial praying for something…anything. She held her breath as the phone clicked with a pick up but she was quickly disappointed as another click followed and she was immediately hung up on. Not knowing what else to do, the blonde hit redial again and the same thing happened. As her desperation grew, she repeated this action over and over until she was met with three chimes and a recorded message telling her that the mobile phone customer was not accepting calls at this time._

_Despondent, she dropped the phone, letting it crash to the ground. The dial tone filled the room as sobs wracked her burnt and injured body…_

**Present day**

"Like I told you, I wasn't thinking rationally. I couldn't. I was just consumed with this need to get ahold of her." The blonde looked at the coffee table in front of her, defeat evident in her posture. "All the sobbing wore me out I guess. I woke up the next day with a visitor…"

_**Three months ago**_

_Though Arizona was definitely not a pediatric patient, she woke up and found Norman McHale sitting in a chair near the head of her bed. As her sleepy blue eyes focused on the head of pediatric surgery, the man in question noticed and put down his newspaper, smiling at her softly. "Hello my dear." He greeted his former student._

_Recognizing the familiar face, Arizona visibly relaxed. "Norman…" Her voice choked and she started to cry again._

"_Shh, shh." He moved and rested against the head of her bed. "Arizona it's okay. We're going to get you home." The blonde licked her chapped lips and nodded her head lightly against his hand. He continued, "The medical transporters wanted to know where you wanted to go. I've been in contact with your parents and they want you to come to San Diego, but I know you also have a life in Seattle."_

_Arizona's sobs intensified at the mention of the rainy city. "I can't….I want…" She shook her head, unable to express her feelings as tears soaked her cheeks and loud, wracking breaths shook her body._

_Concerned, the man leaned over, forcing the blonde to make eye contact with him as he tried to decide what would be best for his star student. "Go to San Diego Arizona, your parents want to take care of you. Okay?"_

_Flopping her head to the side, she fixed her eyes on the phone that she had used unsuccessfully countless times. Her heart ached as she thought of what she'd lost. She hadn't gotten ahold of Callie so McHale was wrong when he told her she had a life in Seattle. She had no life there. Sucking in a breath she turned back to face her mentor. "San Diego." She agreed…_

**Present day**

"Forty-three times. I called Callie forty-three times and didn't get a response. Because of that, I knew San Diego was where I should go. Not back to Seattle. Not when I knew I had nothing left there."

Aimee nodded, jotting a few notes in her notebook. "Did you try to contact Callie once you got to the hospital here? She was surprised when her patient shook her head. "Why not?"

"I deteriorated so quickly once I arrived in San Diego. My parents barely had time to make it to the hospital to provide an override for consent to the amputation. Two days later, I woke up with one leg."

"And how did that make you feel?" Aimee questioned, already knowing the answer because it was Arizona's father who had set up their counseling appointments.

"I was so furious. I lashed out at everyone. My doctors, my parents…you." Arizona said, referring back to their first meeting while Arizona was still in the hospital.

Aimee nodded her recollection. "You had every right to be angry Arizona. Something vital had been taken from you."

"Yeah…well…" Arizona played nervously with the bracelet on her wrist. "I know that that still doesn't excuse my behavior…"

_**Two and a half months ago**_

"_Arizona you need to eat." Barbra Robbins gently prompted her daughter, raising a spoon to her mouth. The Robbins had just brought their daughter home from the hospital the day before._

_The blonde ignored her, staring blankly at the wall behind her mother. The elder blonde tried a few more times before sighing and putting down the spoon. "Arizona please."_

"_Leave me alone." The blonde in question said in a deadly tone as she met her mother's eyes._

_With a huff, Barbra left the room and Arizona returned her eyes to the spot on the wall. She stayed that way for a few moments before she was startled by the door slamming against the wall. "Now you listen here young lady!" The gruff voice of her father echoed through the room. "You do not get to do this. You do not get to be disrespectful to me or your mother."_

_She stared up at him, her jaw slightly lowered._

"_You were raised to treat people with kindness and respect and you sure as hell better start with yourself." As she continued to stare at him, he dropped onto the couch in front of her, his voice taking on a more gentle tone. "We lost Tim four years ago Arizona. Please, we can't lose you too."_

_At the mention of her brother's name something clicked inside the blonde's head and she felt her anger and hatred start to dissipate. "I miss him." Her whisper was barely audible but it was enough for her father._

"_I know sweetheart. I know." He leaned forward and rested his hand on her knee, looking into her watery blue eyes. "I know he would have wanted to be here with you for this…to help you recover. But he's not. So please let us help you."_

_Even at her brother's funeral she had never heard this much emotion come from her usually stoic father. Nodding slowly, she reached over and picked up the spoon…_

**Present day**

"My parents snapped me out of my funk. As I started to get better, I started thinking about Callie again."

"Did you try to get ahold of her?"

The blonde nodded, "When I got a new phone, she was the first person I called. But that call perfectly mimicked the first call that I made from Hopkins. She realized it was my number and told me once again to leave her alone." She said sadly.

The therapist gave her a sad smile. "And what did you do?"

"I left her alone. I know I could have left a message or sent an email or tried to contact her through Teddy or Bailey, but…she was just so angry. And how do you tell someone that you were in a plane crash and lost a leg via email? It just doesn't seem right."

"So what's your plan now?"

Arizona shrugged a shoulder, feeling exhausted after their conversation. "The same as it's been. Once I'm better, go back to Seattle and try to get her to talk to me. I will try for however long it takes."

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**A/N: So AZ is walking again! Yay! Props to those who can spot the dialogue borrowed from the show. I hope you enjoyed this and please let me know what you think! I'm very very open to ideas!**


	5. Part II: Ch 1

**A/N: Ok I just posted a chapter less than 12 hours ago so make sure you read it first. Please notice that I also changed the chapter titles to reflect different parts of the story line. The last part (Part I) was Arizona's therapy. What follows is Part II and I think it may have a different feel than the previous chapters, but that is intended.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

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**Two months later**

After two days of driving, Arizona stepped out of the car at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. It had been five months since the plane crash and six months since the blonde had been in the rainy city. Now walking unassisted, she strode confidently into the building, making her way to the Chief of Surgery's office.

"Dr. Robbins." Richard Webber looked up in surprise to see his former head of pediatric surgery leaning in his doorway. "What are you doing here? We weren't expecting you back for another year and a half."

Thrown off by the less than welcoming response, she forced a smile onto her face and pushed herself off the door frame, sitting in the chair across from his desk. "I asked them to replace me in the clinic so that I could come back here."

"Robbins, I signed a yearlong contract with a new peds attending. There's six months left. I can't just eat that money."

Arizona's face fell, that was a response she hadn't been anticipating. "So you're saying I can't have a job here?"

Richard sighed and appraised the woman before him. "That's not what I'm saying…" He rubbed a tired hand over his face. "You'll just have to work under Dr. Stark for a while." The Chief saw the blonde's tentative smile. "When can you start?"

Arizona was relieved. "Today. I just need some scrubs." She stood and started to leave the office before the Richard stood as well.

"Welcome back Dr. Robbins."

* * *

Clad in her navy blue scrubs Arizona made her way up to the pediatric ward, a sense of familiarity and calm coming over her. As she hooked her new pager to her hip, she passed Dr. Karev whose head immediately snapped up. "Dr. Robbins! You're back!"

Arizona chuckled at her mentee, "Now that's the reaction I was looking for. Alex, I'm looking for Dr. Stark, my…boss." She made a face at the word.

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Alex shut the file he had been looking through before logging into the computer. "He's a real piece of work. Over there." He pointed at the short balding man by the nurses' desk.

The blonde nodded her thanks before making her way over to the department head. Thrusting her hand out towards him, she put on the best smile she could manage. "Dr. Stark, I'm Arizona Robbins." She waited patiently for the man to acknowledge her.

He looked up from his paperwork, to her hand, and then to her face. "Ah yes, the superstar from Hopkins." His face looked like he had just smelled sour milk and Arizona found herself wondering if it was her or if that was just his face. "Look Dr. Robbins," he continued, "I am a very busy man. And you know what you need to do, so go. Do your job." He turned back to his paperwork.

Arizona raised her eyebrows, dropping her hand and walking away from the unpleasant man. "Wow," she mouthed as she walked back towards Alex.

"I know, such a ray of sunshine." Alex muttered sarcastically without looking up from his computer. His comment caused his former boss to chuckle as she walked past.

As she made her way towards the ortho floor she passed another blonde who was leaning at a desk charting. Doing a double take, she stumbled slightly as she made a quick stop. "Teddy!"

The blonde in question reflexively caught the shorter woman and smoothly pulled her into a tight hug. "Arizona, what are you doing here?" She studied the woman in her arms. "You haven't written in months. I thought you'd forgotten about us."

Gently pulling back out of the hug, Arizona looked up at her best friend. "I just had a lot going on. But I'm back now…working under…Stark." She wrinkled her nose.

Teddy wrinkled her nose to match. "He's such a joy to work with…"

Letting out a small snort Arizona's face turned serious. "Teddy, where's Callie?"

"Arizona…listen, about Callie, there's something I need to tell y…" Before she could continue they were cut off by a pager, both women automatically checking the black boxes at their hips. "Not me."

"Ugh it's me." Arizona groaned as she read the page summoning her to OR 2. "I gotta go." She clipped the device back to her hip. As she walked off, she heard her friend call after her.

"Come find me after surgery Arizona. We need to talk."

"Okay!" The peds surgeon shouted over her shoulder as she walked as fast as she could towards the OR.

* * *

Covering her mouth with a mask Arizona stepped into the OR, relishing in the feel of the sterile environment that was so different than her clinic in Malawi. "I was paged?" Looking up she registered the familiar red and white scrub cap and felt her heart quicken in her chest.

Callie Torres looked up from the femur she was repairing. "You're my peds consult!"

"I…I..." She stuttered, unable to form a sentence. This was not how she anticipated their meeting going. She looked at the open leg and then back up into Callie's beautiful but furious brown eyes. "I'm…" Before she could say anything else, the alarms started to blare, snapping her out of her daze. "What's happening!" She demanded of the surgical resident that was assisting the orthopedic surgeon.

"Her abdomen is rigid and distended." He called back over his shoulder as the monitor started displaying runs of v-fib.

"Shock her!" She shouted. "I've gotta scrub!" She left the room as quickly as possible as she heard Callie take over the code.

"Push 1 mg of Epi. Charge to 200. Clear!"

* * *

Arizona was just finishing the repair on the patient's abdominal aortic dissection as Callie began to close the leg. They had worked well together, falling into the natural rhythm that they had perfected over the years. However, despite their synchronous movements, conversation was kept to a minimum. The orthopedic surgeon placed her final stitch as Arizona completed her work in the retroperitoneal space and moved on to start the omental flap and final skin closure. "Callie." She started, looking up to catch the brunette's eye.

Putting her tools down, Callie met the other woman's stare, her eyes still burning with anger. "No. We aren't doing this now Arizona. You don't get to waltz into my OR and hold me hostage with a patient on the table then air all our dirty laundry for our co-workers to see."

Arizona frowned beneath her surgical mask, a wrinkle creasing her brow. "Callie I'm not going hold you hostage. I want a chance to talk to you. I…" She huffed as she was cut off yet again by the brunette as she stepped back from the operating table.

"You want a chance?" She asked as scrub nurse helped her out of her gown and gloves.

"Yes, I…"

Callie stepped further back and watched as the blonde's eyes glanced downwards.

Arizona felt her heart plummet into her stomach as she registered the other woman's swollen, pregnant belly pushing against her tight scrub top.

"How 'bout now?"

* * *

**A/N: Well that was the start of part 2. I'm sorry the chapter couldn't be longer, but here is where it felt organic to end it. I really hope you enjoyed it. If you can, please take a moment and let me know what you think!**


	6. Part II: Ch 2

**A/N: Wow, thank you guys so much for your feed back on the last chapter. It was the best response yet!**

* * *

"Teddy, she…she…how could she…" Arizona voice was thick with tears as she sobbed in the taller blonde's arms. After Callie's reveal, the pediatric surgeon had finished the rest of her surgery in a daze before stumbling into the attendings' lounge. Noticing her erratic movements, Teddy had followed her in there, shutting the door behind them, as she gathered the weeping blonde in her arms.

"Arizona…" The cardio surgeon murmured quietly, "Breathe, you need to breathe." She rubbed soothing circles on the smaller woman's back as she continued to gasp for air. Once she felt her breaths become more regular, Teddy pushed her back to arm's length. Tear filled blue eyes peered up at her, redness surrounding her nose and eyes. Keeping a hand on Arizona's arm, Teddy reached behind her and grabbed a tissue off the table, handing it to the peds surgeon so she could wipe her nose. "That's what I was trying to tell you before you got paged to the OR. I should have tried harder. I'm so sorry. I just didn't expect you to get paged into Callie's OR."

Arizona stared up at her friend as she wiped mascara off her cheeks, "Ho-," her voice cracked and she coughed into her tissue to clear the secretions from her throat. "How long has she been p-pregnant?" The distraught woman squeaked out, her lip trembling involuntarily.

"Five months." Came Teddy's sad reply. She heard the other woman moan in distress, bringing her shaking hands up to cover her face. As the diminutive woman continued to sob into her hands, Teddy brought her back into a tight hug, her heart breaking for her friend.

"Who is it?" Arizona whimpered, her voice muffled against her hands and the other woman's shoulder.

Teddy sighed and continued to rub her back. "Arizona…you don't want…"

Pulling back from the embrace her hands dropped to her sides and she stared at her with fire in her eyes. "Teddy, whose baby is it!" She demanded, her whole face now red with a mix of anger and sadness.

Eying her friend warily, Teddy knew that she had to tell her. "Arizona, its Mark."

Teddy's simple statement hit her like a physical blow and she stumbled backwards, the backs of her thighs hitting the counter. "Oh God." She whined, dropping her face into her hands, another set of sobs shaking her body.

The cardio surgeon observed her friend as she continued to cry. She stood there, several feet away from the shorter woman, unsure of what to do or say.

As Arizona started to hyperventilate, she felt a bolt of pain shoot through her left thigh. "Oh God." She moaned again, forced to drop her hands to the counter to maintain her balance.

Alarmed, Teddy stepped back into her space, resting a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Arizona, what's wrong!" She demanded, watching as the woman in question dropped her left hand from the counter to her thigh, digging her fingers into the extremity. She continued to watched as her friend pulled frantically at the fabric, her fingers alternatingly digging and kneading at her leg.

Arizona's breathing became more erratic and she continued to ignore the taller woman's frantic questioning of what was wrong with her. Of course her phantom pain would catch up to her at the worst time. She should have expected it; she'd been on her feet for hours longer than she was used to. That coupled with her emotional distress was enough to send anyone into a pain episode.

Realizing she wasn't going to get an answer, Teddy wrapped her arms around Arizona's shoulders, prying her up from the counter and half carrying her over to the couch. She forced the other blonde into a seated position and dropped to her knees in front of her.

Arizona's hands immediately flew back up to cover her still reddening face as she continued to hyperventilate and cry. "'Zona, Arizona…" Teddy grabbed her wrists, trying to pry her hands away from her face. When that was unsuccessful she dropped her hands to the other woman's knees, gently squeezing her fingers into the joints. "Arizona I need you to look at me, tell me what's wrong."

Vaguely registering Teddy's hand on her right knee and a strange pulling sensation at the thigh of her left leg, Arizona dropped her hands and looked down. She realized where the pulling sensation was coming from when she saw Teddy rubbing circles on both of her knees. Blue eyes met hazel as Teddy stopped her ministrations, her hands tightening on the joints.

Feeling the difference beneath the thin fabric of the navy scrubs, Teddy squeezed her fingers into both of the other woman's knees, twisting her hands as she felt soft, warm flesh with her left hand and something cold, hard, and thin with her right.

Arizona's eyes widened as she realized what Teddy had just done. "Please…don't…" Her voice came out a broken whisper as watched the other blonde drop her hands down to the bottom of Arizona's left pant leg.

"Arizona…" Teddy choked out as she raised the pant leg slightly. The sight of the silver prosthetic confirmed what she had thought she had felt hidden under the scrubs. Her eyes flashed back up to her friend's.

"Teddy, please…" Arizona whispered, her voice shaking with uncertainty. This was all wrong. This was not how people were supposed to find out. She met her eyes for a moment before the kneeling woman pushed herself up from the ground and dashed from her side. Filled with uncertainty and doubt Arizona once again collapsed into sobs as she heard Teddy's feet pound to the door. This is what she was afraid of. She was scared someone was going to find out about her disability and spread it around the hospital. She continued to cry, waiting for the inevitable. Her tears only stopped in confusion when she heard the lock on the door click into place and saw Teddy returning to her side, sitting down beside her on the couch.

The cardio surgeon slipped her hand into the crying blonde's and squeezed it tightly as Arizona looked at her with confusion.

"I thought you were going to tell everybody." She murmured sadly, leaning into her friend's shoulder.

Teddy used her other hand to stroke Arizona's hair, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I wouldn't, Arizona. I wouldn't do that."

Nodding tiredly, Arizona dropped her free hand back to her thigh, squeezing tightly at the still inflamed limb. She whimpered as Teddy moved her hand from her thigh and pulled her back to her feet.

Bearing most of her friend's weight, Teddy quickly undid the tie at Arizona's waist and let her scrub pants fall to the ground before sitting her back down on the couch. "You're having a pain episode Arizona. Can I help you?" She asked gently as unsure blue eyes met hers.

The blonde in question caught her breath and looked at her friend, seeing no judgment in her eyes, she nodded slowly. Moving her hands down to the socket, she unhooked the prosthetic limb and pushed it off, letting it clatter to the ground. She heard Teddy suck in a breath beside her as she removed the stocking that covered her residual limb.

"Arizona, what happened to you?" Teddy asked sadly as she moved back to the ground in front her friend, gently placing her hands on the limb and applying firm, alternating pressure.

Visibly relaxing as her pain started to dissipate, Arizona met the eyes that were looking questioningly up at her. "I had an accident in Malawi." She replied quietly.

When she didn't elaborate further, Teddy knew better than to push. Instead, she continued massaging Arizona's leg, trying to release the tension that she could feel in the muscles. She continued in silence for several more minutes before asking, "Does Callie know?"

Arizona shook her head, shifting nervously in her seat. "No. And you can't tell her. Promise me Teddy." She said desperately. "Promise me you won't tell anyone."

Stopping the motions with her hands, Teddy retrieved the stocking that Arizona wore and helped her replace her prosthetic. Once the device was secure, she helped the other woman up so that she could pull up her pants. When the shorter blonde was dressed, Teddy gathered her into another tight hug. "I promise Arizona," She whispered in her ear. "I promise.

* * *

**A/N: Well there you have it. Teddy knows. I don't have anything concrete yet, so how should Callie find out? And what about the pregnancy. Our girls have found themselves in quite a mess. *eep***

**Please take a moment and let me know what you think!**


	7. Part II: Ch 3

**A/N: Wow, you guys are great. Thank you so much for your feed back on the last chapter. Here is a longer chapter in thanks. **

**Also, when I updated chapter 6 yesterday, I forgot to give a shout out to Psychosomatic Addict Insane for giving me some pretty sweet ideas.**

**Well, enough with the rambling, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"You're staring at her again." Mark Sloan placed a small cup of coffee in front of the brunette who was resting against a counter in the peds ward. Callie had come up to the floor to check on a patient she had operated on with Karev when she saw the blonde she had been avoiding on the phone at the nurses desk.

Picking up her daily allotment of caffeine the orthopedic surgeon took a greedy gulp and let out a content sigh. She murmured her thanks before tearing her eyes away from Arizona. The peds surgeon had been back just over two weeks and after learning of Callie's pregnancy she had been giving the brunette the cold shoulder. Though it was a completely natural response to the situation, truth be told, it was not the reaction Callie had been expecting. She had known while they were dating, that Arizona was the most level headed in the relationship. Even after the children debacle that caused them to break up last year, Arizona had treated Callie with nothing but respect even when the brunette had been downright nasty to her. She hadn't expected this silent treatment. She hadn't expected the blonde to stop even _trying_ to reconcile with her. "Something…something just isn't right with her Mark." Callie glanced back to the blonde who was still talking on the phone.

"Well of course not. The woman comes home from Africa and finds out you're pregnant. With the golden boy of the hospital no less." He leaned on the counter suggestively, grinning at her.

Callie growled and pushed herself away from him, stalking down the hall.

"Hey it takes two to tango Torres!" He hollered out as he pushed himself off the counter and sauntered after her.

Their exchange did not go unnoticed by the blonde who had just hung up the phone. While Callie continued to walk by, Mark stopped at the desk.

Arizona looked up at him, not bothering to conceal the annoyance on her face. "Is there something I can help you with Dr. Sloan?"

"Hey Blondie, just wanted to make sure you were ready for our cleft palate repair that we have at two.

The blonde glared at him, "Of course I am," she said sharply. "If you'll excuse me, I have work I need to get done." She quickly gathered her files and walked down the hall, into her office.

Once her door was shut, Sloan caught up to where Callie was waiting and watching. "Yep," he confirmed, "Blondie's pissed at you."

"It takes two to tango Mark," the brunette mocked, glaring up at him.

"Yeah but I already knew she didn't like me." He shrugged his ambivalence as they walked onto the sky walk. Stopping at the coffee cart so Callie could buy a muffin he studied her closely. "Is this the first time roller girl has been pissed at you?"

Callie glared at him, picking up her muffin and tossing a packet of sugar into her now lukewarm coffee. "Yes."

"Sorry Cal." He said sympathetically. "But just remember, Blondie left you. So you have every right to be upset with her. Besides, she's clearly not talking to you and if she's not going to apologize for ditching you in an airport, I don't think you owe her anything."

"Oh good lord. _Shut up_ Sloan." Came an annoyed voice from behind the coffee cart.

The tall man glanced over his shoulder, spying a very angry Teddy Altman. "Dr. Altman, to what do I owe this lovely surprise?" He asked as the brunette beside him rolled her eyes at his childishness.

The blonde stepped over, closing the gap between herself and the plastic surgeon. "Stop talking about things when you don't know the full story."

He peered down at her, "Come on Teddy, lighten up. Robbins is a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"You have no idea what Arizona is going through Mark. Though why would you? You are the most oblivious, pig-headed man I have met in my life." She glared at him, jabbing her finger into his chest. "Maybe one day you'll start thinking with your brain instead of your penis. But until then, you don't have any right to talk about anyone's messed up relationship. Especially when you cheated on the woman you claim to love and knocked up your best friend in the process." Snatching her coffee cup off the counter, the cardio surgeon stormed off leaving the other two surgeons in her wake.

"Wow." Callie commented, taking a sip of her coffee before patting Mark on the shoulder.

Stunned, the tall man turned to stare at his best friend. "What the hell was that?"

* * *

Arizona had had a shitty day. Listening to Callie and Mark's playful banter followed by having to work side by side with the plastic surgeon in the OR for 4 hours had her teetering at the edge. Shutting the door behind her, she dropped her keys on the table before collapsing on Teddy's couch.

The homeowner was seated in an arm chair across the room. When she heard the other blonde fall into the seat, she lowered her book and studied her closely. "You want me to kill Mark Sloan for you?"

"Yes please." Arizona mumbled into the couch cushion before pushing herself into a seated position with a groan.

"How bad was he?"

The petite blonde rolled her eyes. "You know. The usual Mark. Conceited, arrogant, cocky, narcissistic tool. All I could think of while we operated is how I wanted to shove my plastic foot up his ass."

Teddy let out an unlady like snort as both women shared a look before bursting out in a fit of laughter. "I never thought I would hear that come out of your mouth."

Arizona gave her a little smile as their laughter petered out. "I never thought I would say something like that. Ugh!" She threw her head back dramatically. "I need a drink. Got any alcohol in this place Teddy?"

Eyeing her friend skeptically she shook her head, "No. We can go to Joe's if you'd like."

"That sounds like a plan." Arizona said, pushing herself back up off the couch, wobbling slightly as she regained her balance. "At least we know that's one place Callie won't be."

The taller blonde gave her a sympathetic smile, linking arms with her as they made their way to the elevator. "When do you plan on talking to Callie again?"

"Um…never would be too soon." Arizona snapped, immediately feeling guilty when she heard Teddy sigh. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be taking this out on you. It's not your fault I'm in this mess. You've been great, giving me a place to stay and everything…I…"

"Hey," Teddy cut her off as she pushed the elevator button for the lobby, "I'm not complaining. I like having a roommate. Even though said roommate is completely stubborn and should be sleeping in the bed I offered rather than the lumpy couch." She nudged her playfully as the elevator started its descent.

Arizona rolled her eyes, they'd had this conversation every night since Teddy had offered her a place to stay after finding out that she was sleeping in a hotel. "Teddy, I'm fine. I appreciate it, but I'm fine. Besides, I should be out of your hair soon. I found a few nice ground level apartments that aren't too far from the hospital."

Teddy smiled, glad to see that her friend was starting to get her life back together. She took her arm again as the elevator came to halt and they stepped out into the lobby. "Alright alright, backing off. She pulled her through the lobby and out into the street. "Come on, let's go get you that drink."

* * *

"Hey Robbins! UNOS is on the phone for you." Karev shouted down the hall once he saw the blonde. As she quickly walked over, he handed her the phone. _'What is it?'_ She mouthed as she put it to her ear.

The resident shrugged as Arizona answered, "Hello?"

"_Dr. Robbins, you're the treating physician for Aaron Tucker?"_

"I am. He's been on the transplant list for several weeks. He needs a new set of intestines." She confirmed, gesturing for Alex to hand her something to write with.

As the dark haired man passed her a pen she heard her caller start explain the situation, _"We have an organ donor at Boise Memorial who is a match for Mr. Tucker. The patient is a 9 year old girl, 29 kg, 119 cm, blood type A+. She and her father were involved in a car accident 3 hours ago, the attending physician in the emergency department declared both of them brain dead. The patient's mother generously agreed to donate the organs of both her daughter and husband. The left kidney of the father is also going to a patient at Seattle Grace Mercy West and we have been in contact with Miranda Bailey. Both the husband's kidney and the daughter's intestines are in perfect condition. When can you be here? The harvest is scheduled for 3pm on the daughter in OR2 and 3:15pm on the father in OR4."_

The pediatric surgeon finished scribbling the details and checked her watch, it was noon. "We can have someone there within 2 hours."

"_Thank you." _ The disembodied voice on the phone replied. _"We will email more demographics to your hospital's transplant coordinator as soon as they come available."_ The call disconnected and blonde put the phone back in its cradle as Dr. Stark walked over and peered over the counter at her notes.

Despite the sad situation resulting in the organ donation, Arizona was happy for her patient. Aaron Tucker was a 7 year old boy with a history of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A volvulus had caused a large section of his intestines to become necrotic and Arizona was forced to do a sizeable resection, leaving the child with very little functional bowel. As soon as she stepped out of the OR she had personally called the transplant board and asked them to add Aaron to their list. That had been her second surgery after her return to Seattle and it seemed like they were finally getting some good news. '_Wait, Boise. That meant she had to get on a plane. Crap!' _ Swallowing against her building terror, she turned to her student, "Alex, I need you to coordinate with Bailey and get on a plane to Boise Memorial, they have intestines for Aaron Tucker."

Karev nodded his understanding and started gathering the necessary paperwork for the organ recovery when Dr. Stark stopped him. "Dr. Robbins, is there any reason you are sending Dr. Karev to pick up organs for _your_ patient?"

"Sir, I don't mind, I…" The resident started

"Be quiet Karev." He snapped. "I was asking Dr. Robbins why she is handing off _her _patient to a resident. Do the Tuckers not deserve an attending surgeon to pick up their son's new organs? Are they only good enough for a resident?"

"Hey!" Alex started, annoyed with his department head's words.

Arizona felt her blood start to boil but she managed to place a calming hand on Alex's arm, letting him know to back off. "Dr. Stark, Dr. Karev is very capable of performing an organ recovery. Besides, Miranda Bailey will be in the hospital too, she is getting an organ from our donor's father."

"Dr. Robbins, is Aaron Tucker Dr. Bailey's patient?" The balding man asked sarcastically.

"No sir." The blonde ground out through gritted teeth.

"Then I expect you to do your job! Good lord!" He mumbled under his breath about the lack of decorum and respect at the Seattle hospital before looking up at the blonde who hadn't moved. "Get on that plane and go retrieve your patient's organs."

* * *

**Uh-oh. What's gonna happen next?!**

**I hope you enjoyed this. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!**


	8. Part II: Ch 4

**A/N: This chapter was surprisingly hard to write so I apologize for updating later than anticipated. We're gonna see a little mama Bailey in this chapter so I really hope you enjoy it. I didn't realize how fricken' hard Miranda is to write!**

**As always, any mistakes are mine. Please enjoy.**

* * *

With a shaky hand, Arizona grabbed the guard rail before nervously ascending the stairs and entering the cabin of the plane. The plane that would take her and Dr. Bailey from Seattle to Boise was bigger, and definitely nicer, than the puddle jumper she had been on in Africa. But it was still a plane. And the last time she was conscious on a plane her life had been irrevocably changed. She crossed to a seat across the aisle from the general surgeon and immediately fastened her seatbelt as her right leg started to bounce nervously and she drummed her fingers on the arm rest.

Seeing that the second surgeon had boarded, the co-pilot shut and locked the cabin door before addressing his passengers, "Doctors, we are clear for takeoff. We should have you in Boise in a little less than two hours." He took his seat in the cockpit as the plane started to taxi down the runway.

Having not seen much of her friend since her return to the states the older woman took the opportunity to try to start up a conversation, "Are you glad to be back in Seattle Arizona?" Miranda Bailey shut her patient's chart and turned to look at the blonde beside her.

"Hmm?" Arizona briefly made eye contact with the other woman before returning her eyes to the front. "Oh mm-hmm." She murmured distractedly as the plane began to gain speed. She squeezed her eyes shut when she felt the wheels of the plane leave the ground.

Watching her nervous behavior Bailey chuckled lightly at the pediatric surgeon. "Are you alright Arizona? You never struck me as an anxious flyer."

Her eyes still squeezed shut, the blonde barely registered the other woman's words. "Fine…I'm fine. I'm fine…I'm fine." She whispered to herself, repeating her mantra over and over while her left fist pressed into her thigh and her right hand white-knuckled the arm rest of her chair. She jumped in her seat and let out an involuntary shriek as the plane hit a small pocket of turbulence.

Surprised and alarmed by the other woman's behavior, Bailey quickly undid her seat belt and slid into the chair between Arizona and the window. "Robbins….Hey, hey Robbins. Look at me." Getting no answer she placed her hand on a pale cheek and turned Arizona's face towards her. "Arizona open your eyes." She patted her cheek lightly. "Come on." She whistled a note. "Look at me." Terror filled blue eyes slowly opened and looked at her. "Hey there you are." She smiled comfortingly. "You want to tell me what's wrong? Have you ever had a reaction like this to flying before?"

Quickly shaking her head no, the blonde made a high pitched noise in her throat as the plane rocked on another small air pocket. She squeezed her eyes shut again.

"Hey now. Open them back up. Look at me Arizona." Bailey was now concerned. She had never seen the usually calm and collected surgeon act this way. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?" When the woman in question didn't open her eyes, Miranda shook her shoulder gently. "Robbins I need you to look at me. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's got you all worked up." She pried the blonde's right hand from the arm rest and squeezed it tightly.

Holding onto the general surgeon like a lifeline, Arizona opened her eyes once more. "I can't Bailey." She croaked out.

"You can't what?" She asked gently. "Hmm?"

"I can't talk about i-it." Arizona stuttered as Bailey continued to look at her with concern.

Thinking for a moment, Bailey used her free hand to rub the other woman's arm. "Robbins you know I don't get involved in other people's drama. It is an actual hardship for me." She paused before continuing, "Unless I'm really concerned. So you gotta talk to me. Because you're worrying me. You've never acted like this before so I really need you to tell me what is going on. Is it because of Torres?"

At the mention of Callie's name, Arizona's eyes darkened but she shook her head vehemently. She tried to get her breathing under control as the plane leveled off. The last thing she needed was for her hyperventilation to launch her into a phantom pain episode.

"Okay, okay if it's not Torres, did something happen in Africa?" When she was met with silence the short woman sighed in aggravation. "I'm trying to help you here Robbins. I need you to give me something to work with." Despite her growing frustration she could not hide how truly concerned she was about her colleague.

As her friend implored her to open up, Arizona was finding it harder and harder to keep quiet. She remembered her parents emotional pleading as they begged her to let the people that loved her help her. They had reminded her time and time again that she didn't have to go through everything alone. She remembered the times since her accident where talking to someone _had _helped. When the right words from the right people had pushed her to get better. Her parents, Aimee, Teddy, they had all be instrumental in her recovery thus far. And she _needed _to get better. In San Diego she wanted to get better for Callie, but now, she needed to get better for herself. Arizona looked around the plane, still feeling a sense of panic in her chest as her leg continued to bounce. She took a deep breath and quickly let it out, turning in her seat to face her good friend. "Bailey, when I was in Malawi after three weeks I was miserable and wanted to come home…Come home Callie. The plane that was supposed to take me to the airport to come home crashed. Since then I have been terrified to fly." She chewed her lip nervously, waiting for the other surgeon to react.

Bailey looked at her dumbfounded. "You were in a plane crash." She repeated, staring at the blonde in shock. For the life of her, that was not what she had expected the other woman to say.

Arizona nodded, looking nervously out the window behind Bailey's head before drawing her eyes back to the other woman. "I was in a plane crash. I sat in the desert in the Rift Valley for four days, watching vultures pick apart the co-pilot and pilot." She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling of the plane, trying to keep her tears at bay. She felt Bailey's hand tighten on her own. Forcing herself to continue, she blinked back the tears, "When we crashed I broke my leg. Open femur fracture." She paused.

"This was about six months ago?" Bailey questioned, trying to process what the peds surgeon was telling her.

Arizona nodded. "When I got home I tried to get ahold of Callie. She wouldn't talk to me. Of course now I know that she was busy getting knocked up by Mark Sloan." She spat bitterly.

Bailey sighed, rubbing her arm. She knew Callie had wanted a baby but the idea of Sloan and Torres doing the nasty was not something that she needed to know about it. So yes, Miranda Bailey was happy for the orthopedic surgeon, but it didn't mean she had to like the situation. She could only imagine now how the blonde was feeling. "I know. I'm so sorry Arizona. I know how much you loved her. You two were my aspirational couple. I always felt like there was a little bit of magic there."

"Yeah, well…the magic is dead now." Arizona responded dully. She looked at their intertwined hands as Bailey brought the conversation back to the plane crash.

"How long did it take your leg to heal?"

This was the part of the explanation Arizona had been dreading. "It didn't." She said simply. When she saw Bailey's look of confusion she pulled back her hand and bent over in her seat, drawing up her left pant leg to mid-calf to reveal the prosthetic limb. She let go of the fabric when she heard the general surgeon's surprised intake of breath. Sitting back in her seat, she fixed her eyes back on the cockpit, now unwilling to look at her friend beside her. "I really hate flying." She murmured softly, her hands returning to their places on the arm rests.

"Good God Robbins. I don't blame you. We'll get you some Valium for the flight back but how the hell could you not tell us about this!" The short woman smacked her arm lightly.

Arizona jumped slightly, turning back to face her angry friend. "Hey! What the heck was that for!"

Bailey smacked her arm again. "You stupid stubborn woman." _Smack_. "We could have helped you." _Smack_. "You just…"

The blonde caught her hand before she was hit again. She fixed the other woman with an incredulous look but her gaze softened as a sob welled up in Bailey's throat.

"You stupid stubborn woman." She repeated sadly, overwhelmed by the thought of how close she came to losing her friend.

Arizona understood the way Bailey handled her grief. She gave her a soft smile and wrapped an arm around the smaller woman's shoulders. "I'm alright Miranda. I'll be alright."

"Physically I know you'll be fine." Bailey wiped her eyes, fixing her younger friend with the Bailey stare. "You've had us all fooled for a month. But I'm not worried about you physically." She paused, making sure the blonde was paying attention. "Yes, I'm sorry you lost your leg and I know you know that I am here for you…whatever you need. But no, that's not what I'm worried about. You survived a huge physical and emotional trauma Arizona. Yeah you may be physically healed, or at least as healed as you can be. But you're an emotional train wreck." She rolled her eyes at the blonde's dubious look. "Oh don't give me that. You know exactly what I am talking about. I know you're pissed about Callie and Mark and the baby. And you have every right to be. Hell, I am pissed for you. But you can blow smoke out your ass all you want. Lie to everyone that you're alright if that's what you so desire. But honestly I'm offended that you lied to me. I am Dr. Bailey; you had to have known that I would find out eventually." She saw the other woman purse her lips, undoubtedly trying to conceal an amused smile at the truth of her statement. "And as Dr. Bailey you know that I am always right. So trust me when I say this. You two don't have to get back together. Hell you don't even have to be friends, but you, Arizona Robbins; you are _not _going to be alright until you make your peace with Callie Torres."

* * *

**A/N: So a little Bailey/Arizona friendship there. I always loved their relationship on the show. I wish there had been more of it season 9, then maybe things wouldn't be as screwed up as they are now. *Sigh.***

**Next chapter should have some Callie/AZ interaction but I am struggling to write it. I need some extra motivation to push through this wall that I've hit. So please please please let me know what you are thinking so far.**


	9. Part III: Ch 1

**A/N: I'm not gonna lie. Y'all blew me away with your response to the last chapter. Thank you so much. It definitely gave me the push I needed to buckle down and get this written. I updated not too long ago so if you didn't read about Bailey and Arizona, then you missed a chapter and you should go back.**

**This is the start of Part III of the story. And I am very excited about it. I really hope you enjoy it. As usual, any mistakes are mine.**

* * *

"Are you ready for me to start on the arm?" Callie walked into the OR, stepping into the sterile gown that the scrub nurse held out for her.

"That should be fine." Arizona said as she continued to work diligently on her patient's open abdomen. It was now 4 in the morning. The blonde had been paged into emergency surgery at 1:00 am for a girl who had been pushed down a flight of stairs during a family argument. Honestly this was not how she wanted to start her day, an exploratory laparotomy followed by what would no doubt be hours on the phone with Child Protective Services. And this was all before her shift even started at 9:00.

_**Earlier that morning**_

_They had been operating in stages. Arizona had started at 1:00 am with Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Whit, and Dr. Kepner. The neurosurgeon had quickly controlled the girl's intracranial hemorrhage and was scrubbing out before Dr. Whit, the ortho resident, had even started screwing in the external fixator that would stabilize the patient's open tibia fracture._

_Arizona and her resident, April Kepner, were halfway through their exploration of the abdomen when Dr. Whit finished his stabilization and moved upwards to check out the girl's arm. After he made his incision near the shoulder Arizona spoke up, "How's it look Eddie?" The blonde asked the junior doctor, observing him out of the corner of her eye as she gestured for April to increase suction._

"_Bad. She's got a brachial plexus injury on top of the humerus fracture. Did Dr. Shephard know about this?"_

_The peds surgeon nodded as she slipped her hand under the liver, lightly palpating the organ. "Yeah, the ER reported a suspected medial cord injury because she presented to them with an ulnar claw. Shephard said if it was just the medial cord then ortho could repair it when you pinned the shoulder."_

_The resident explored the area carefully, "It is just the medial cord, but this isn't like any repair I've ever done Dr. Robbins. One of the attendings can, but I don't feel comfortable performing the surgery myself."_

"_That's alright Whit. Who is the attending on call for orthopedics?"_

"_That would be Dr. Torres ma'am. Would you like me to page her for you?"_

_Arizona sighed, Callie was not the person she wanted to be dealing with at 3:30 in the morning, but the abused girl on her table deserved the best, and Callie was definitely the best. "That's fine. Page Dr. Torres to OR1 please."_

"_Right away." Stripping off his gloves he stepped over to the phone and called the charge desk, relaying the message before heading to the wash room to scrub out._

_Once the ortho resident was out of the room Arizona let out another audible sigh. "This is not how I wanted to spend my night Kepner."_

_April smiled at her sympathetically even though the gesture was hidden behind her surgical mask. "I'm sorry ma'am. I know you and Dr. Torres are at odds. But for what it's worth, I'm glad to have you back."_

_The blonde chuckled lightly at the over-eager resident. "Thank you Dr. Kepner. I appreciate that."_

**Present time**

Callie deftly placed two pins in the patient's shoulder to reduce the displaced fracture before starting on the nerve repair. As she started to suture the ripped cord movement from the two surgeons working in the abdomen lightly jostled the body on the table. The orthopedic surgeon quickly withdrew her hands so she didn't damage the delicate structure. "Watch it Arizona!" She snapped at the blonde in the pink scrub cap.

"I'm sorry Dr. Torres, that was me. The retractor slipped." Kepner quickly apologized.

"Okay." Callie nodded, resuming her position at the girl's shoulder. "Just try to be more careful. New 10-0 nylon please." As she gestured to the scrub nurse she glanced up, noticing Arizona's irritated glare at her quick judgment. Immediately looking back down at her work, she felt sheepish for snapping at her ex-girlfriend. "Sorry Arizona." She said quietly.

The pediatric surgeon continued her work without looking up. "It's fine Dr. Torres. I'm sure it was the pregnancy hormones." She said coldly. "3-0 vicryl." She held her hand out to the scrub nurse.

Callie felt a chill travel down her spine as she watched the nurse hand Arizona the requested suture material. She saw the peds surgeon tie in four quick stitches to repair a liver laceration before the blonde resumed her exploration of the abdomen.

Shaking off the foreboding feeling the orthopedic surgeon resumed her procedure as Arizona and April started to prepare the abdomen for final closure. "Dr. Torres, Dr. Kepner is going to staple the skin now. Are you able to take your hands off the nerve?" Arizona asked as she handed the stapler to her resident.

"Give me two seconds." Callie placed another suture. "I'm almost…" She drew out her sentence, buying time. "Crap. Arizona can you give me a hand here?"

Wordlessly the blonde wiped her hands on a sterile towel before walking up to the head of the table. She stood beside the Latina, putting her hand out for the hemostats.

"Okay give me a little bit of tension. I need to approximate these ends."

Doing as she was told, Arizona gently pulled the nerve taught, bringing her end towards the end Callie was holding so that the orthopedic surgeon could put one final suture through the sheath. At this proximity she could smell the brunette's intoxicating scent. Needing to get away from her, the blonde put down her tool as soon as Callie was done. She quickly returned to her side of the table, nodding distractedly as Callie thanked her. "Kepner you can close now." Arizona told her resident, stripping off her gloves before heading to the door.

Watching the blonde walk out, Callie felt an inexplicable pull to go after her. "Kepner, when you're done, close this shoulder for me alright?'" She too put down her tools and headed to the door.

"Alright." The resident confirmed before the repetitive clunk of the stapler started to fill the OR. "Sutures or staples Dr. Torres?"

"Use 5-0 vicryl inside and 3-0 out." She replied quickly before pitching her gloves in the waste bin and exiting the room. Walking into the scrub room Callie found the pediatric surgeon scrubbing vigorously at her hands.

The blonde paused briefly to see who walked in before immediately resuming her scrub out procedure, effectively ignoring the other woman in the room.

Huffing in frustration Callie grabbed a bar of soap, ripping it open before she too started to scrub. "Arizona, can we talk?"

An amused chuckle passed the other woman's lips as she continued to look straight ahead through the window into the OR while still washing her hands. "Oh now you want to talk? Now? Not the 43 times I called you 6 months ago? That was too much of a hardship for you. But now's good? I'm honored to get a moment of your precious time Calliope." She said angrily as she shut off the water and forcefully ripped a paper towel from the dispenser.

Callie grit her teeth as she continued to scrub her hands. "Oh don't give me that Arizona. You don't get to play the victim here. You're the one who abandoned me, not the other way around." There was that annoyed chuckle again, coming from the blonde's beautiful lips. Callie shook her head. She should not be thinking of the woman that way. Holding her ground she continued. "I'm trying to extend an olive branch here Arizona. We still have to work together. But you have been nothing but hostile since you got back."

Arizona stared at her incredulously. "Hostile? You're saying I've been hostile…to you?" She laughed again. "Just because I'm not trailing you like a pitiful puppy doesn't mean that I am being hostile. Callie you really need to re-think about what you did to me in the OR my first day back. I have not been hostile to you. I have simply ignored you. Which is what you asked for after all. I do recall you telling me quite vehemently on the phone to leave you alone. Well Callie, I'm granting you that wish." She started to walk by the brunette who reached out and grabbed her wrist with a wet hand, sending her off balance. She stumbled, hitting her hip on the edge of the sink before catching herself and glaring at the brunette.

"I was angry Arizona. You left me. I was heart broken!"

"Clearly." The blonde said sarcastically, gesturing to her budging belly."

"You had to give me time to process! I was processing!" Callie shouted in frustration. "We're going to be working together. I want us to at least be civil. But you've got to give me time. I've been through a lot Arizona."

"Yeah." The blonde murmured quietly, maintaining eye contact with the taller woman. "Yeah, well so have I."

* * *

**A/N: Well, at least they're talking now. That's a start right? Please let me know what you think and I'll try to get another chapter out as soon as possible.**


	10. Part III: Ch 2

**Woah, look at this, two updates in a day! If you didn't read about Arizona, Callie, and Kepner in surgery then you missed my earlier update. Go back and check it out!**

**Also, to Duvetsnuggler, you are a brilliant brilliant person! Your idea worked perfectly with what I was trying to formulate in my head. Thank you for your suggestion!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

After operating on Hannah, the little girl that had been pushed down the stairs, and getting out of the OR at 6:00 am Arizona had spent the remaining three hours before her shift on the phone with CPS just as she had predicted. Once 9:00 am, the scheduled start of her shift, had rolled around, Arizona was already exhausted and hadn't even started her packed day. She did two appys and a bowel resection and squeezed in a small lunch before afternoon rounds. After checking in on Hannah and Aaron Tucker, her bowel transplant patient, Arizona found herself with a rare free moment.

It was just after 4:00 pm and the pediatric surgeon had already been at the hospital for 15 hours, with another five hours left in her shift. She wearily made her way to the peds on-call room, locking the door as she entered the dark space. Stripping off her pants she sat on the bottom bunk to remove her prosthetic and absent mindedly rubbed the limb. She had no more scheduled surgeries and was planning to get caught up on paperwork for the rest of the night unless she got pulled into an emergency surgery, so she set her alarm for an hour and curled up under the blanket, falling asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Groaning as the buzzing alarm pulled her back to consciousness Arizona lay there for a few more seconds before sitting up on her bunk. With that motion the blonde realized that she just _hurt._ Her hips were sore, her right leg ached, and her abs were tight, no doubt from using all her retrained muscles to walk properly on her prosthetic limb. On top of all these other aches and pains, what remained of her left leg throbbed! Taking one look at the red and swollen appendage she knew that she had overdone it today. Adrenaline must have kept her going for the first fifteen hours, but now that she had given her body a chance to rest, the rush died and she was now paying the price.

"Crap. Crap crap. Ow…" She groaned as she reached over to retrieve the prosthetic that leaned against the bed post. Trying reattach the limb, the blonde knew immediately that it wouldn't be going on anytime soon. After being confined to the socket and standing on the leg all day, her residual limb was just too swollen to fit. She groaned again, this time in annoyance. Looking around the on-call room she briefly wondered about her ability to just stay in there for the rest of the shift, before immediately nixing the idea as she remembered all the work she had to get done. With a frustrated huff she leaned over once again to retrieve her phone.

Tapping a number on her speed dial she held the phone to her ear. "Come on come on." She muttered as she waited for the other person pick up. When she heard a click and a breathless greeting from the other party she let out a relieved sigh. "Teddy, I have a problem."

"_What's wrong Arizona?"_ The cardio surgeon asked into her phone as she quickly descended the staircase to the OR floor on the other side of the hospital.

"I overdid it today. My leg's too swollen to fit back in the socket and I am stuck in the peds on-call with no crutches." The blonde said sheepishly. She really hated asking for help, but Teddy was her best friend and if you can't rely on your friends, who can you count on?

"_Uh…crap. 'Zona I'm headed into the OR my guy is about to code…um…"_ The taller blonde looked around the hall quickly, spying another surgeon. _"Arizona, Bailey's here. Can I send her? I am so sorry."_

"Yeah, yeah. Bailey's fine. I'm sorry for bothering you Teddy. I just didn't know what else to do." The peds surgeon now felt silly for calling.

"_No no. You're not bothering anyone. You did the right thing. We both just have crappy timing." _She waved Bailey over and Arizona heard their conversation through the phone. _"Bailey, Arizona needs your help in peds on-call. She's got a prosthetic problem. I have to get to the OR before my guy crashes. Can you help her out?" _Arizona heard the other woman's affirmative reply and told Teddy to tell her thanks before hanging up the phone.

She rested back on her elbows on the bed, looking up at the bottom of the top bunk. _'Well, this is embarrassing.'_

* * *

"Hey Robbins, it's Miranda." Dr. Bailey knocked on the on-call room door. When she heard the other woman tell her to come in, she used the key that she got from security to unlock the door and quickly enter the room, shutting it behind her.

Arizona was seated on her bunk, kneading the still inflamed limb. "Thank you for coming. I can't believe this happened." She avoided the shorter woman's eyes feeling her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Hey now. Don't blush. Stop it." Bailey gently rubbed her shoulder as the blonde woman's eyes got wet with tears.

Arizona blinked back the tears and fixed her friend with a grateful smile. "Thank you Miranda. I really appreciate it."

Bailey returned the smile, "Hey now, I told you I'd help you out. Move your hands, let me see." She crouched down in front of her friend, looking at the angry red extremity as the peds surgeon moved her hands. "Oh sweetie." She murmured. "Things like this should not happen to good people." She placed her cool hands on the stump and felt Arizona immediately relax into her touch. She briefly examined the limb before standing up. "Okay, let me go get some stuff. I'll be back in a minute and we'll get this taken care of."

The blonde nodded in acknowledgement before watching her savior leave the room.

* * *

Venturing into the supply room, Bailey spotted what she needed. She stood on her tip-toes and stretched to grab some chemical cold packs and towels, muttering to her herself about the _'stupid giants who stock the supply rooms.'_

After finally retrieving the items she stepped back into the hallway, squeezing and shaking the cold packs to activate them. Not watching where she was going, she bumped into Callie Torres, bouncing off her pregnant belly.

"Careful." Callie chastised playfully, rubbing her belly.

"Sorry Torres, I wasn't watching where I was going." She explained distractedly as an idea popped into her head. "Hey, I need your help in the on call room. Can you come with me?"

"This isn't going to be another one of those times where you ask for lady advice is it?" The orthopedic surgeon eyed her skeptically.

The short woman glared. "You're nasty Torres." She smacked her arm. "Nasty. All you people think about is sex. It's a wonder any of you get any work done."

Callie laughed at the grumbling woman. "Yeah, I'll help. Lead the way."

"Hmm." Bailey thrust the towels into Callie's arms and started back down the hallway, still kneading the cold packs. Arriving at the on-call room she knocked on the door. "Hey, I'm coming in alright." Opening the door, she stepped in the room.

The blonde smiled when she saw her. "Thanks again for doing this…" her words died in her throat as she saw the Latina stepping into the room. "Bailey what the hell!" She shouted, frantically throwing a blanket over her legs. She knew she was too late because the look of alarm was already plastered on the brunette's face.

The towels dropped from Callie's arms as Bailey gently prodded her into the room, closing the door behind her. "Arizona, you are having orthopedic problems. _She_ is an orthopedic surgeon," The short woman emphasized, gesturing towards the woman in question before bending over and picking up the dropped towels and tossing them on the bed beside the blonde.

"Arizona…what…" Callie spoke up, her voice shaking before the blonde angrily interrupted her.

"This was private Miranda! I trusted you. I…I…" She let out an aggravated growl, unable to get out any more words.

Bailey looked at her before starting calmly, "Arizona you trusted me to help you. This is the best way to help you. Because considering the fact that only Teddy and I knew about this, makes me pretty damn positive that you have not received any orthopedic follow up care since you left San Diego. So let me help you the best way I know how. Which is by bringing you an ortho consult."

Arizona glared at her, still ignoring the stunned Latina in the corner of the room.

When the blonde didn't argue, Bailey knew that she was making a point. "Besides, I know that I wouldn't be able to get your swelling down enough to get you back in your leg and walking out of here. And you leaving this room on crutches missing half a leg would kind of let the cat out of the bag. Maybe Callie can get you back in your prosthetic. This is your best option Arizona. I know it sucks and I'm sorry, but this is what you got."

"Fine." Arizona said harshly, still extraordinarily displeased with the situation. She looked expectantly towards the orthopedic surgeon who was still rooted in place.

When Callie didn't move, Bailey gently nudged her forward. "Go on then. You heard the woman." She started to head out the door.

"Miranda, where are you going!" The blonde snapped.

"Hey, you don't need me. You two have a lot you need to get out. So get at it." The short surgeon stepped out of the room and shut the door leaving the two exes alone in the on-call room.

* * *

**Well...Callie knows. This is getting exciting. **

**It would be supper awesome if you told me what you thought of the reveal. Super :-D.**


	11. Part III: Ch 3

**A/N: See, I didn't make you wait too terribly long with the cliff hanger! Thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews. They made my day.**

**I'm saying this for people who are like me and get mixed up when multiple chapters of a fic get posted quickly. So if you didn't read about Callie showing up in Arizona's on-call room, you missed the last chapter. Go back and check it out!**

**As always, enjoy!**

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The room was completely silent as the two women stared at each other. Callie couldn't believe her eyes when she looked at what used to be her girlfriends' leg and Arizona sat still, trying to read the look on the brunette's face. After a minute, Arizona was the first to speak, breaking the eerie calm. "Can you hand me that cold pack please?" She gestured to the item that Bailey had shoved in Callie's hands before departing from the room.

Startled out of her daze by the blonde's quiet request, Callie stepped forward, extending her hand with the requested object, "Um yeah. Here you go." She watched as the woman snatched the cold pack and wrapped it in a towel, twirling it around so that she could place the cloth encased cooler at the end of her leg and hold the edges of the towel to keep it in place.

Despite her annoyance with the situation Arizona had found herself in, she couldn't suppress the relieved sigh that passed her lips when the coldness contacted her skin. "That's so much better." She murmured quietly, shutting her eyes as the throbbing in her leg started to calm. After another few moments of silence, Arizona addressed the brunette without opening her eyes. "Well are you going to say something Callie? I'm already self-conscious and this whole mute staring thing doesn't help my body image issues." There was another few seconds pause before she felt the bed dip beside her as the pregnant woman sat down.

The brunette struggled to talk, "What happened to you Arizona?" she asked, still shell-shocked at what damage had been done to the body of the woman she had once been so close to.

Arizona clicked her tongue in annoyance, looking up at the brunette before speaking, "I think that's pretty obvious that my leg was amputated Callie." Instead of sounding angry the blonde just sounded drained. She moved the cold pack from the end of her stump to the top of her leg, murmuring contentedly as the icy temperature provided more relief.

After observing her for a few seconds and processing the answer she had just received, the brunette tentatively slid her hand into the other woman's, surprised when she didn't pull away immediately. Despite the odds they had been at recently, Callie's heart now ached for the smaller woman and the pain she had undoubtedly been living with. The pain she was currently suffering from. "When…"

"Six months ago." Arizona cut her off sharply and pulled her hand back so she could once again shift the ice around her leg.

Callie's stomach twisted and she immediately felt sick as she put some of the pieces together. "You called me six months ago. That was after this happened. Wasn't it?" Her eyes welled up with tears as she choked on a sob, guilt washing over her. When the blonde nodded her affirmation Callie started to cry, lowering her face into her hands as her shoulders began to shake.

Arizona peered at her curiously out of the corner of her eye. Having spent the past six months thinking that the other surgeon didn't give a crap about her, she had to admit that she was shocked by the brunette's response. Though how many of the Callie's tears were for the blonde and how many were due to pregnancy hormones was up for debate. "I was only in Malawi for three weeks before I couldn't take it anymore. I was coming home to you Callie when the stupid plane crashed."

The brunette let out another sob before sitting up and wiping her eyes. "I am so sorry Arizona. I am so unbelievably sorry that I did not pick up the phone." She turned to face the blonde who was still holding the cold pack to her foreshortened leg.

The woman who was looking at her with chocolate brown eyes sounded so sincere that Arizona couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes despite her strong desire to maintain her indifference. She gave a barely perceivable nod before her eyes flicked down to her leg that was still red and swollen despite the cold therapy.

Following her eye line Callie knew that she needed to do what Bailey had brought her here for. She swallowed and pushed herself up from the bed. "I'll be right back Arizona." She quickly left the room leaving the blonde staring at a closed door.

Now with time to think and process, Arizona sat there, hands gripping the edge of the bunk, wondering what she should do. An internal debate raged in her head. On one hand, the brunette had been nothing but sympathetic... in the past ten minutes that she had known about Arizona's injury. But on the other hand, five months of being ignored and a month of hostility was enough to drive the blonde to her breaking point. That, combined with how angry she now was at Miranda Bailey for tricking her left her feeling conflicted.

Despite the huge breach of privacy, Bailey was right. Arizona did need orthopedic help and she hadn't had the proper follow up care she required since leaving her parents' home. But still, it made her uncomfortable appearing the way she did now in front of the woman she once loved, even if that woman was the best possible person to take care of her.

With Teddy and Bailey it was different. She had not had an intimate relationship with them so being examined by those two surgeons was something that she could deal with. But sitting here in this room, exposed and alone with a woman that she had made love to, numerous times on this exact bed all the insecurities she had were rushing back in full force.

Arizona Robbins hated being an amputee. She hated it. And what she hated even more than the discomfort and the limitations she now faced was the way that people reacted to her once they knew. Arizona was a proud woman and every time someone looked at her with pity it chipped away a little more at the dwindling confidence she struggled to hold onto. It embarrassed her when she had panic attacks like the one she had on the plane with Bailey and it embarrassed her even more when she couldn't just hop out of bed and get back to work like she used to. There was no more zooming down the halls on her Heelys or racing up the stairs to get to a patient's room. Now every movement had to be precise and calculated so that the blonde didn't fall on her ass.

She looked down at her legs and sighed. Aimee, her therapist, had told her countless times not to keep things bottled up. She told her that she had to open up and talk to the people who were willing to help her. But right now, that was not something that would work for the blonde. If Callie had still been a friend, then maybe. But now, when they had just barely started talking to each other again, following Aimee's suggestions was a lot. It was too much to ask. Arizona swung her legs around so they were back on the bed. Covering up with a blanket, she sat against the headboard resting her head on her hand and her elbow on her bent right knee.

That's how Callie found her a few minutes later as she returned to the room. "Arizona, I'm back." She said softly, studying the woman who was rubbing her temple with the pads of her fingers. Callie was so familiar with that motion. Arizona would do it all the time with her free hand when she was doing paperwork or when she was stressed and thinking of a case. The brunette dumped her armful of supplies at the foot of the bed before sitting at the edge of the mattress near the silent blonde. "Arizona." She reached out and grabbed a slender wrist, pulling the woman's hand away from her head.

Opening her eyes, the blonde shook her hand out of the other woman's grasp and looked towards the medical supplies that Callie had just deposited. "What did you bring?"

Callie sighed and walked to the other side of the room, grabbing a chair. "More cold packs and a compression bandage as well as some NSAIDs." She walked the chair back over to the bed and sat in front of the blonde. "Can I examine your leg?"

The woman on the bed nodded, popping the anti-inflammatories in her mouth and shifting so that her residual limb now rested in the other woman's lap. She pulled back slightly as the end of her leg brushed the Latina's pregnant belly. She threw her blanket back over her hips and her other leg.

Callie carefully studied what remained of a leg she was once intimately familiar with. A leg that, in the past, had been frequently wrapped around her own hips as she and the blonde woman made love. She shut her eyes and started to massage a limb that at one time ended in a perpetually frozen foot that would be playfully shoved between the brunette's warm calves in the morning with a giggle as the cold startled the sleeping woman awake. Callie touched Arizona's leg gently before she began kneading the tender flesh of the pale thigh. She continued as she felt Arizona become putty in her hands like she had so many times before. And, with the rush of memories came another flood of tears.

Crystal blue eyes met tear-filled brown when Arizona heard the other woman sniffle. "Callie…" She whispered, trying to get her attention.

The ortho surgeon continued her ministrations as she cleared her throat. "Would I have been able to save it? Your leg?" She questioned, forcing herself to hold the other woman's stare. "Could I have saved it if I had just listened to you on the phone?"

Arizona looked at the tan hands on her leg and shook her head. "I don't think so Callie. I sat in the dirt in that desert for four days with an open femur fracture. By the time anyone found me, it really was too far gone."

The brunette let out another pained cry as more details of Arizona's trauma were revealed to her. Sighing, Arizona placed her hands on Callie's as they continued to release tension from her aching muscles. "Calliope." She grabbed the woman's hands in order to still them. "Please. I can't do this with you. I need you to stop crying. I need you to be my doctor right now because this …thing is now affecting my ability to do my job." She paused, making sure the brunette was listening to her before continuing, "This revelation may have come as a shock to you today, but it is not something that is new for me. I did my grieving six months ago, in San Diego with my parents. I can't keep going through this emotional turmoil every time someone finds out about the leg. Certain aspects of my life have been changed enough as it is and that is something I have no control over." As she spoke she gestured to her leg and to the orthopedic surgeon. "But I don't need for my career to be screwed over by something that's not even there."

Callie sucked in a sharp breath and looked up, unconcealed hurt in her eyes. Yes the two of them had been at each other's throats for weeks. And yes, Callie blamed the blonde for abandoning her at the airport. She blamed her for coming back to Seattle like nothing was wrong, though Callie now knew this had been an act. Despite the blame that was constantly being thrown around by both parties it still hurt her every time she realized their relationship was over. It tore at her heart to realize that the blonde didn't want her help as a girlfriend, or even as a friend. She didn't want Calliope: lover and confidant, she wanted Dr. Callie Torres: orthopedic surgeon.

Similar thoughts ran through Arizona's head as they sat there in silence, Dr. Torres' strong hands resuming their circular and squeezing motions that provided the relief that she so desperately needed.

"I should have given you a chance Arizona." Callie murmured sadly as she continued her work. "That's what you asked me for when you got back. Just a chance. I should have given it to you. I'm sorry that I didn't."

Arizona sat in silence for a moment, studying the pained look on the brunette's face before speaking, "Me too Callie. Me too." She swallowed, struggling with what she knew had to be said. "But look at us Callie. I'm sitting here missing a leg and you are sitting there, pregnant with Mark Sloan's baby. Too many things have changed and nothing will ever be the same no matter what we do." She paused to make sure she still held the other woman's attention before saying with finality, "Even if we had tried, I don't think we had a chance."

* * *

**:-/ Well...crap. I'm not going to make this easy for our favorite ladies. Besides, my biggest pet-peeve on the show was how quickly Arizona reconciled with Callie post baby-gate. From reading your reviews, it seems like a lot of you had the same frustration. Arizona was such a strong character when the show introduced her and over time bits and pieces of her were chipped away until she made the extraordinarily stupid decision to sleep with _she-who-shall-not-be-named_. I am really hoping that season 10 is the season where Arizona finds herself again BEFORE Calzona make their way back to each other because otherwise their relationship is in the same place it was before the infidelity. Neither woman is flawless and I really hope this story expresses that realistically.**

**Please let me know what you think, either of what I just said, or of the chapter. And I will see you again soon.**

**Please review!**


	12. Part III: Ch 4

**A/N: Wow, over 100 reviews. You guys have blown me away. Thank you so much!**

**Also, thanks to Duvetsnuggler and AZsgirl for being wonderful sounding boards.**

**So sorry for the delay, but here is the next chapter. As always any mistakes are mine. Enjoy!**

* * *

Arizona parked in the physician's lot at the hospital before getting out of her car, still in her court clothes. The city had expedited the charges against Hannah's parents so the blonde had spent the morning testifying about the patient that she had operated on only two weeks ago. Though Drs. Shepherd, Torres, Kepner, and Whit had also been involved in her care, as the Pediatric surgeon, Arizona was called upon to be the expert witness. Satisfied that the parents would not be able to hurt Hannah ever again the blonde felt invigorated as she walked into the building to start her twelve hour shift.

That mood was immediately soured as she walked past Mark and Callie to stand in line at the coffee cart in the atrium. The plastic surgeon chuckled as she walked by. "Nice shoes Blondie," he teased referring to the black Nikes she wore with her dress clothes.

The tennis shoes didn't exactly go with the flowing black pants, fitted blue blouse, and black blazer the surgeon had worn for court but Arizona didn't have much of a choice considering she hadn't really thought of buying any other prosthetic friendly shoes. Her outfit really called for heels, but let's face it, her plastic foot just wasn't the right shape for heels.

Though the tall man's teasing was said in a jovial tone, Arizona couldn't help but be annoyed. What right did the manwhore have to comment on what she was wearing? Especially when he didn't understand why she was wearing it. She sent him a nasty glare as she handed over money for her coffee. "Oh bite me Mark." She snapped, filling her cup with coffee from the airpot on the counter.

As she turned around to leave she witnessed Callie firmly backhanding Mark's chest. "Torres, what was that for?" He grumbled, rubbing his now sore pecs. Arizona couldn't help her snicker as she walked away from the duo.

"Shut up Mark. Leave her alone." The blonde heard Callie reprimand the man's juvenile behavior as she pressed the button for the elevator and took a large sip of her steaming coffee.

When the elevator car arrived she stepped in, pressing the button for the peds floor. As the doors slid shut she could see the still whining plastic surgeon as well as the brunette who was staring after her. They maintained eye contact until the doors slid shut and the elevator began its journey upward.

Arizona sighed, leaning against the wall of the car. She and Callie hadn't had much to say to each other since their meeting in the on-call room two weeks prior. Though their relationship still remained in a state of stalemate, Callie had kept her word and provided the blonde with the orthopedic follow up care that she required. No longer at each other's throats, they were now able to interact as colleagues.

This change came as a relief to their mutual friends. For now at least the two surgeons could be in the same room as one another without one of them rolling their eyes or yelling at their ex. Surprisingly they'd even managed to have several pleasant, albeit short, conversations. But despite this shift in attitudes, the few friends who knew the whole story; Teddy and Bailey, could see just how much both women were still struggling. Callie had spent the past two weeks trying to reconcile the guilt of knowing that Arizona had been injured while trying to come home to her with the anger of knowing the blonde wouldn't have been on that plane if she hadn't left Callie in the first place. As the brunette struggled with her demons, Arizona was also fighting her own personal battles. She continued to wrestle with depression, phantom pain, and the crippling vulnerability that came with trusting Callie to be her doctor despite their personal history.

Walking past the attendings' lounge she quickly ducked in to grab a pair of scrubs before heading to the peds ward staff bathroom to change. After swapping her court clothes for the navy blue garb she headed to the nurses desk. As she absentmindedly flipped through patient charts she reflected on the conversation she'd had with the orthopedic surgeon in the on-call room…

_**Two weeks ago**_

"_Look at us Callie. I'm sitting here missing a leg and you are sitting there, pregnant with Mark Sloan's baby. Too many things have changed and nothing will ever be the same no matter what we do. Even if we had tried, I don't think we had a chance."_ _Arizona concluded sadly as the brunette's eyes flashed up to hers._

"_Do you mean that Arizona?"_

"_I do," the blonde nodded. "We're so different now Callie. I don't know what I was thinking…returning after five months, hoping you'd still be waiting…"_

"_You broke up with me Arizona. Not the other way around." The brunette snapped angrily as she reached for the compression bandage and started winding it around the other woman's leg._

_Arizona nodded her acknowledgement. "Yes Callie. And I will always regret hurting you like that." She winced as the orthopedic surgeon continued to tightly strap her residual limb. Biting her lip to keep from crying out, she gripped the edge of the bed as the pressure from the compression bandage sent shock waves of pain through her severed nerves._

_Hearing the blonde's quiet gasp, Callie looked up, immediately feeling guilty as she saw the other woman's eyes flick up to the ceiling as they filled with tears. She secured the bandage and grabbed the cold pack, setting it back on Arizona's thigh before resting her hand on the blonde's arm. "Are you alright?"_

"_I'm fine." Arizona said quickly as the pain continued to flood her body. She'd be damned before she let the other woman witness her breakdown._

_Callie chewed her lip, torn about what to do or say. "Is it phantom pain?"_

_The blonde nodded tearfully, her face reddening as she lost her control over the pain. "I'll be fine. You don't have to stay for this."_

"_Arizona…"_

_The woman in question tightened her grip on the edge of the bed. "Callie can you please just go? Please."_

_Callie sighed. "Okay Arizona. I'll go. The bandage should get the swelling under control soon. Page me if you still can't get the prosthetic on after an hour." Her eyes flicked to the metal and plastic device that lay under the bed then back to the blonde before she turned around and left the room…_

**Present day**

Arizona was pulled out of her memories as her pager started to beep. Reading the message on the screen she tossed her stethoscope around her neck and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail as she walked down the hall to her patient's room. "What have we got?"

* * *

Having lost two patients on her table in the past 12 hours, Arizona walked out of the hospital near midnight in desperate need of a drink. Making her way across the street to Joe's she slid onto a barstool beside Teddy.

The cardiothoracic surgeon looked like she'd had an equally bad day. "What's your poison?" She asked, taking another sip of her scotch, her head propped up on her hand.

"I'll have a white wine Joe." Arizona told the tall man behind the bar before dropping her head into her hand, adopting a position that mirrored Teddy's.

"Rough day?" Teddy asked as a big glass of Riesling was set in front of her friend.

"Yeah. You could say that," the pediatric surgeon murmured as she picked up the drink, swirling the golden liquid around in the glass. "I lost two little girls today," she said sadly. "One was nine months old, the other was just about to turn five."

Teddy looked at her sympathetically, reaching out to rub the shorter woman's shoulder. "I know it's hard. But I'm sure you did everything right Arizona."

Nodding, she took a sip from her glass, feeling the smooth wine slide down her throat. "It still doesn't make it any easier. I'm sorry about your guy too Teddy, I heard about your transplant patient."

"Yeah…his vessels were just too shot. We couldn't get the donor heart started again. It was an unlucky day at Seattle Grace Mercy West I guess."

Arizona murmured her agreement. "Maybe Yang was on to something with the Mercy Death description." She scanned her eyes down the bar, noticing an unfamiliar blonde at the far end before peering over her shoulder towards the dart board where the resident in question was sharing tequila shots with Meredith and Lexie Grey.

"Maybe she was." Teddy followed Arizona's eye line and briefly observed her star student and her friends before turning back to the drink she was nursing. "Well here's to those who were felled today by the hospital's curse." She raised her glass before knocking back the rest of her drink and gesturing for Joe to pour her some more.

The two surgeons sat in silence for a few minutes trying to decompress from their disappointing days. When Arizona finished her wine and signaled the bartender for another glass, Teddy tilted her head and looked back at her friend. "Have you forgiven Bailey yet?"

The diminutive blonde had given Miranda Bailey the cold shoulder for several days after the general surgeon had revealed Arizona's secrete to her ex-girlfriend. She sighed, rubbing her temple with the hand that didn't hold the wine glass. "Yes. What she did was wrong and underhanded on so many levels, but she really did help. I would have been leaving the on-call room on crutches if she hadn't brought Callie to me. She apologized profusely once I gave her a piece of my mind though."

Teddy chuckled. "I bet. You're scary when you're angry."

Arizona scoffed at her. "No I'm not!"

"You've threatened to hit Karev with a brick and your father is a Marine Arizona. You may be all sunshine and rainbows 99% of the time, but remind me never to get on your bad side." The cardio surgeon teased her friend.

Arizona laughed, thankful that the other blonde had started to lighten the mood. "So says the Army surgeon." She paused, taking another sip of her wine. "Thank you for cheering me up."

"Any time. Hey it helped me too." Teddy smiled. "Though if you really want to get back to all your rainbows and butterflies and crap maybe you should start dating again."

"Or maybe I should get a cat." Arizona retorted with a chuckle, causing the other surgeon to snort into her glass of scotch.

"Or maybe you should let me buy you a drink." The two friends were interrupted by the unfamiliar blonde from the end of the bar who was now standing behind them. She smiled widely, offering her hand to Arizona. "Hi, my name is Lauren."

* * *

**Well...crap.**

**PS: please don't worry. And please don't jump to conclusions. I think you'll be surprised and pleased with what comes next. Nothing is as it seems. I'm aware that this was a risky move but please just trust me. I won't let you down.**

**Please please let me know what you think. Your reviews make me super happy!**


	13. AN: Read Me

**Before everyone mutinies, please trust me when I say Calzona is endgame.**

**I'm putting this A/N as a separate chapter so that anyone who is angry can immediately (hopefully) be relieved. I'll give you a hint: Just because someone is named Lauren does not mean it is Lauren Boswell.**

**Please rest assured that I hate that woman and won't let her disrupt the progress, albeit slow, that Callie and Arizona are making.**


	14. Part III: Ch 5a

**Wow, got some serious flames with that last reveal. Sorry for anyone who was upset by it, but please remember this is just a story and I am a diehard Calzona fan. I will never write McHomewrecker -_-**

**I felt bad leaving it the way I did, especially since I am going to a wedding tomorrow and may not be able to update quickly. So here is an extra scene to take the edge off.**

**For those of you who commented on the penname change, yeah, I'm still AZFan. But the line "Maybe I should get a cat" is one of my favorite things one of my friends said to me as we discussed our rather disappointing love lives. Needless to say, we each now have two cats...**

**Also, one further reminder: If you couldn't tell from my original penname, Arizona is my favorite character so this story is AZ centric. But but but but, Calzona is endgame in this fic and we will be getting to Calzona developments soon. Calzona is always endgame. And Calzona better be endgame on the show because if not I may actually cry.**

**Enjoy, hopefully this gives you a laugh after the aneurysm you may have had from the last chapter.**

* * *

"How'd it go with Barbie after I left last night?" Teddy tried to pass a cup of coffee to the blonde before adding, "Considering the fact that you are waking up on my couch, I'd assume not so good."

Arizona groaned as the light assaulted her eyes. She immediately regretted opening them as her head started to throb. Reaching blindly for the coffee mug she prayed that the caffeine could stave off her massive hangover. "Miserably," she muttered. Sitting up with Teddy's help she grabbed the steaming mug as the taller blonde let out a sympathetic chuckle.

"Did you even get her name?"

"Um…" Arizona blinked rapidly and tried to read the smudged ink on her hand. "Lauren Welsh…Walsh…W…" She trailed off incoherently.

Teddy laughed again, "And what was wrong with this Lauren Welsh, Walsh, Whatever?"

"Well for one, she's a real estate agent. I mean who can seriously be that happy selling houses all the time!" She exclaimed dramatically earning yet another laugh at her misfortunes. "Stop laughing!" She swatted at the other woman's leg but missed by a few inches.

"Okay, okay." The cardio surgeon held her hands up in self-defense. "Considering you stumbled in here less than an hour after meeting her, I knew it was bad. I just didn't realize it was real estate agent bad."

"Not funny." The blonde grumbled as she slurped down some of the hot brown liquid.

"So what else was wrong with Lauren Whatever; real estate agent? Did she kiss you?"

The shorter blonde shook her head. "She tried. But I just couldn't. She just wasn't…right."

"You mean she just wasn't Callie."

Arizona sighed, nodding as she stared into her coffee. "She just wasn't Callie."

Teddy squeezed her shoulder sympathetically. "So how'd you get her to let you leave the bar?"

"I think I made up some bullshit excuse about needing to feed my cat."

The cardio surgeon snorted. "You don't have a cat."

"Well I told you maybe I should get one." The other woman stated petulantly.

"You do that." Teddy patted her shoulder before standing up as Arizona did the same. "By the way, I…" She was cut off by the other blonde's less than graceful tumble to the floor.

Uninjured, the fallen woman rolled over and sat up again, pouting up at her friend.

Teddy continued, helping her back onto the couch. "I was trying to tell you that I took off your prosthetic when you fell asleep on my couch.

Arizona's mouth made a comical "o" before she dramatically flopped back down on the couch, pulling a pillow over her head. "Wake me up when my hangover's gone."

* * *

**I hope this makes up for your earlier potential heart attacks. :-/ Also, sorry to any real estate agents! I love them, one of my best friends is one, though she never really understands my medical humor.**


	15. Part III: Ch 5b

**Sorry that it's short, but this is the 2nd half of the chapter I posted the day before yesterday. So if you didn't read about hungover Arizona, then you missed the 1st half of the chapter. **

**Also, this chapter is the end of Part III of the story.**

* * *

Arizona Robbins looked over the now empty OR table at Alex Karev and April Kepner as their patient's gurney was wheeled out of the operating room.

"Another satisfied customer." April said with a smile, causing the blonde peds surgeon to chuckle and Alex to roll his eyes. They had just performed a complicated omphalocele repair on a five day old baby boy. Though they had known from the ultrasound that the baby had this particular birth defect, they hadn't anticipated how extensive it had been.

From the ultrasound, the plan had been to do the repair right after birth, but when the pouch of organs had been too edematous to fit in the baby's tiny abdominal cavity the initial surgery was suspended and Arizona had been forced to place a silo around the exposed organs to protect and compress them so that surgery could be performed later.

They had wanted to wait ten days before attempting another closure so that the abdominal margins approximated easily and none of the bowel was at risk of necrosis from being packed to tightly in the cavity. This plan was also aborted when after five days the silo ruptured and they were forced to do an immediate surgical repair.

Though the baby boy was not out of the woods yet, the surgery had gone better than Arizona could have imagined and she was extraordinarily grateful to her residents who had worked doggedly alongside her for the past five hours to save their tiny patient's life. "You both did great work. You should be really proud of yourselves." She smiled kindly at both junior doctors before tearing off her surgical gown and gloves as they did the same. Depositing the protective clothing in a waste bin she looked back at Kepner and Karev. "You should scrub out and then go tell the parents how well he did. Nothing feels better than letting anxious first time parents know their baby will be just fine."

April let out an excited noise as a huge grin plastered itself on her face and even Alex couldn't help but look pleased as the duo passed their boss on their way to scrub out.

As they left, Arizona turned to look up at the observation deck. Teddy had come in halfway through the surgery to observe and hide from her own over-eager resident. She was still there even now that the surgery was over. The taller blonde stood and pushed the button for the intercom. "No wonder all the residents like being on your service. You're too nice." She teased her friend.

Arizona laughed again, blue eyes twinkling up at her friend. "Well I am an awesome teacher. And really, nothing beats saving the life of a tiny human."

Teddy chuckled and nodded her agreement, telling her she'd see her later that night before releasing the intercom. She waved goodbye to the other blonde before both women exited their rooms to finish their shifts.

After scrubbing out Arizona retrieved her cell phone and headed to the nearest on-call room to take a short nap. As she scrolled through the text messages she had received while she was in surgery her good mood was immediately dampened as she read a text message from her mother.

_I just wanted to let you know that we are thinking about you today. We love you Arizona. xo-Mom_

As she realized the meaning behind the text from her parents the blonde felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. Sinking onto the bed she couldn't help the choked sob that left her lips as she remembered that five years ago today her big brother, Timothy Robbins, had been killed in action in Afghanistan.

How could she only be remembering this now? Halfway through the day. Even with all the tragedies that had existed in her life, nothing could compare to the loss of a sibling. Arizona's body shook with silent tears as she read and re-read the message on her phone. Despite being just a few days shy of five years apart, Arizona and Tim had been inseparable growing up. They had been the one constant in each other's lives as they moved from base to base around the world every 18 months.

He was her older brother. There had never been a moment of her life with him not in it. Until he died. Then that's all there had been.

Choking on another sob, Arizona scrolled through her phone, looking for the picture that she made sure to transfer every time she got a new device. There, in the back of her photo album was a picture of Tim in his dress uniform, hugging her the day she graduated from medical school. She was 26 and he was 31 but with both of their child-like features they looked more like twins than they did siblings separated by half a decade.

Tim had died four short years after that picture was taken. Arizona had just been named chief-resident and was applying for Hopkin's prestigious peds fellowship when she got the call that her brother was dead. Dead at 35. Dead before he'd really even had a chance to live. And now, as she sat in the dark on-call room, a 35 year old pediatric surgery attending at one of the country's best hospitals, Arizona realized that she was older than her brother had been on the day he died.

Drowning in despair she scrolled through her contact list and picked one particular name out of habit. Sending a text, she collapsed back onto the bed, overcome by grief and exhaustion.

_Callie, I need you. –AR_

* * *

Callie Torres had had a wonderful weekend. She had just spent the past two days at a bed and breakfast outside of Seattle as a belated present to herself for making it though her second trimester.

A weekend of no surgeries, no on-call, and no Mark Sloan, who had started to become overbearing with regards to the baby, was exactly what she had needed.

As she drove down the winding road back to the city her cell phone beeped, a particular trill that she had assigned to Arizona. Despite having been broken up for almost eight months, Callie hadn't changed the ringtone. She justified that action now by reminding herself that she was working as the blonde's doctor and the pair _were_ slowly working their way back to becoming friends. Regardless of the ambivalence that she had tried to maintain, Callie couldn't help the skip her heart made when she heard the tone.

Looking around, the brunette realized her phone was in her purse on the floor behind the driver's seat. She reached behind her chair and felt around for the still chiming device, her fingertips barely brushing it. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she pushed herself up and quickly managed to grab ahold of the purse. She continued to drive as she settled back into her seat.

Briefly putting the bag in the seat beside her, she followed the road around a tight curve before the it became straight. Taking this opportunity she fished around in her purse for the phone, retrieving it from the depths of her massive shoulder satchel. Her happiness over receiving a text from the blonde immediately turned to concern as she quickly read the message, her eyes flicking between the road and her mobile device.

She started to type a reply as her eyes flicked back to the road. As she looked up the brunette barely had time to register the truck running the stop sign beside her as her SUV collided with the other vehicle.

* * *

**Please review and tell me what you think. I appreciate it a lot (also happy reviews really do get me amped up to write faster).**

**Much obliged -MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	16. Part IV: Ch 1

**Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter. This chapter was surprisingly hard to write, probably due to the number of characters involved. Also I have not watched "The Song Beneath the Song" in ages, plus since this is an AU storyline things won't play exactly the same.**

**To address some PMs I got, Teddy is not with Henry (again, haven't seen season 7 in a while so I don't even remember when they got together-I jut remember him singing during 'Runnin' on Sunshine'). But yeah, Teddy is not with Henry for the sake of Arizona living on her couch.**

**If you didn't read about Arizona and her brother and Callie's TWD, then go back. Without much further ado, here is the next chapter.**

* * *

Sirens blared as an ambulance pulled into the ambulance bay at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Pulling to a stop as the hospital doors slid open and the trauma team ran out, the paramedics hopped from the vehicle and unloaded their passenger.

"What have we got?" Owen Hunt shouted as he grabbed ahold of the gurney and ran alongside the paramedics, steering the patient towards the hospital where Lexie Grey and Jackson Avery met them at the doors.

"30 something female pregnant driver. Head on SUV vs pick-up. She's got an open head wound and chest injuries. Unrestrained, flew through her windshield. Lost pulse for a second in the field but we got it back." The paramedic quickly listed all pertinent information as they flew past the beds of the ER.

Parking the gurney in the trauma room the three doctors transferred the patient onto the bed. As Lexie pulled the blankets off the battered woman and started to cut off her clothes, Owen lifted the bandages that covered her face. Shocked, he turned towards Jackson, "Avery page the Chief, General, Neuro, OB, and Cardio. Quickly!"

"Dr. Hunt, what is it?" Lexie asked, surprised at his alarmed tone as she continued to cut away blood soaked clothing.

"It's Torres."

* * *

The surgeons were packed around the table in the trauma room, trying to save the life of the woman all of them considered to be a friend. Voices shouted over one another as they all jockeyed to be heard.

"There's blood coming from her chest. I need a…"

"Depressed skull fracture with signs of…"

"No breath sounds on the…"

"There's blood in Morrison's pouch. We need…"

As the trauma room descended into chaos the Chief stepped up. "Quiet, everybody quiet!" Webber bellowed. He stood at the foot of the bed, listening to his orthopedic attending's labored breathing. He watched her eyes flit around nervously, a look of terror on her face as she made guttural sounds, trying to regain control over her battered body.

He wasn't the only one who noticed this as Bailey quickly grabbed the woman's outstretched hand, wrapping it around her own. "Honey we're going to fix you up just fine. Don't worry." She whispered gently, making eye contact with the brunette before Callie's eyes slipped closed.

The attendings immediately resumed calling out orders, this time to specific residents.

As Derek resumed his neuro exam Hunt and Kepner put in a chest tube, blood splashing onto their shoes. "She's got a positive hemothorax!"

"Grey, hang two bags of O- on the rapid infuser."

"Yang, I need the cardiac ultrasound probe."

"Karev where is that Doppler!"

"What the hell happened!" A new voice entered the chaos as Mark Sloan barreled into the room. He shoved his way to the bed, looking down in horror at his battered and bleeding best friend.

Before anyone could react to the sudden intrusion, the alarms on the monitor started to blare as the cardiac line began projecting an irregular rhythm. "She's in v-fib." Cristina shouted, as Lexie reached for the paddles and Mark immediately began CPR.

"Get me an intubation tray." Derek ordered from the head of the bed, rapidly intubating his friend while her body shook from the chest compressions.

"Charge to 200." Both Teddy and Mark commanded at the same time.

The machine whirled to life and Lexie positioned the paddles. "Clear!" Callie's body jumped on the bed as the electrical charge coursed through her and Mark quickly resumed compressions.

"Dr. Sloan." Webber shouted at the frantic plastic surgeon. When he received no response, he stepped beside him. "Dr. Sloan," he yelled again.

"Lexie charge to 230." The tall man ordered as he desperately pumped his friend's chest, willing her heart to restart.

"Dr. Sloan!" Webber grabbed the man's shoulders, pulling him away from Callie as Cristina seamlessly took over compressions until the machine could be charged to the necessary voltage.

As the resident shocked Callie again, Webber forced Mark against the wall, ordering him to stay put as the monitor resumed emitting a regular beep.

"She's in sinus-tach." Cristina confirmed, handing Teddy the cardiac probe. The attending began to ultrasound the chest, looking for additional sources of bleeding.

"What about the baby?" Mark questioned from his place against the wall, his body trembling as he used the window ledge to hold himself up.

"Give me a second." Lucy Fields grabbed the wand of the Doppler from Karev and placed it on Callie's bulging belly. Everyone held their breath and within seconds the regular whoosh of fetal heart tones filled the trauma room. There was a collective sigh of relief and Lucy addressed Alex, "Page Robbins. If I have to deliver this baby we're going to need peds on hand." The young man nodded and dashed past Sloan, out of the trauma room.

With both baby and mom stable for now, Webber once again stepped up as supervisor. "Get her up to the OR. Let's move people!" The mass of surgeons steered the gurney out of the room and into the elevator. Those who could fit in the tight space with the bed, rode up with Callie while the others broke off and rushed for the stairs. When Mark tried to follow in suit, Webber held him back. "Not you. She's pregnant with your child Sloan. You stay here. You can't be involved in this."

Before the plastic surgeon had a chance to argue, the Chief had already headed to the elevators to join the rest of his staff in the OR. Mark once again tried to follow after him but was stopped by Nicole, the paramedic. "Dr. Sloan, these are the belongings we retrieved from Dr. Torres' car. The charge nurse said we should give them to you." She pressed the bag into his hands and he distractedly thanked her.

He started to dig through the bag but was stopped as Arizona rushed up to his side. "Mark what happened. Karev paged that Callie's been in an accident? Where is she?" The blonde surgeon looked widely around the bloody trauma room that had been occupied just moments before.

"They took her into surgery…I-I don't know what to do. I should call her parents right? I-I…" He fished through the bag and found her phone, putting the rest of the items on the instrument tray.

"Mark." Arizona commanded, putting her hand on the dazed man's arm. "Mark I need you to tell me what happened." Arizona's heart was racing as she waited for him to reply. She had been asleep in the on-call room when Alex had paged her. Thinking that the page had been Callie responding to Arizona's earlier tearful text, the blonde was alarmed when she read Karev's message. Shoving her prosthetic on she'd run faster than she ever thought possible down to the ER only to arrive to the bloody and _empty_ trauma room.

"She's stable. She's in surgery. She…" He mumbled distractedly as he focused on the broken screen of Callie's cell phone. There, frozen on the screen was a half typed message to Arizona Robbins. "She was texting you…" He whispered.

"What?" Arizona was confused. She hadn't received any messages from the brunette. "I didn't get…"

"She was texting you!" Mark shouted angrily. "She was in a car accident because she was texting you!" He rounded on the petite blonde, towering over her, his face red with anger as he encountered the woman who, in his frantic mind, had caused the accident.

Arizona looked up at him, seeing the completely irrational look in his eyes, the meaning behind his words clicking in her head. Mark was blaming her. "Mark I didn't make her text and drive," she countered as the man continued to glare at her.

Despite the truth of the blonde's words, Sloan's anger couldn't be quelled. "Yes but she was texting you. Even though you made her miserable Robbins! You abandoned her and then you came back like nothing happened. You came back and shifted the blame on her. She's felt awful since you showed up. Here you go again, blaming her!"

"The accident wasn't my fault!" Arizona shouted, taking a reflexive step away from the imposing man.

He continued to close in on her as Arizona backed herself into a corner, holding her hands defensively out in front of her. "It's all your fault! Everything that has happened is your fault!" He bellowed, causing the woman to jump.

Alarmed, Arizona once again stared up at him. "Mark, you need to calm down. Please. For Callie you need to calm down so we can help her." She tried to reason with him so that she could get out of the ER and go to the OR where she was needed.

"You stay the hell away from her Robbins. You are the one who walked away." He said venomously through gritted teeth as Arizona took another reflexive step back.

Her backwards step sent her tripping over the discarded trauma gear. She stumbled the few feet back into the wall of the trauma room, losing her balance and taking out the instrument tray with her flailing arms as she fell to the floor, metal tools clattering to the ground around her. She glanced up and was met with a look of shock on Mark Sloan's face. Wincing as she tried to push herself up, she slipped again, unable to get traction on the bloody ground with her prosthetic leg.

As she continued to struggle, she felt Mark's strong hands pulling her up. Once she was upright she shook him off, stepping away from him again. Apparently the shock of watching the blonde tumble to the ground was enough to snap Mark out of his irrational state, "Robbins…I'm," He started to apologize, aware that his words had been unfair.

This time it was Arizona's turn to round angrily on him. "No. Oh no no no. You don't even get to start." She stepped towards him, intimidating despite their sizable height difference. "Okay I get it. You hate me and you blame me for all of this. That's something I can live with, because I don't care for you either. But you do not get to stand there and blame me for everything that has gone wrong in Callie's life." She started to leave the room before thinking of something she needed to say. The blonde closed the door and turned back to face the plastic surgeon. "And for your information Mark, I tried to come back to Callie. You have no idea how hard I fought to get back here."

"You walked away for six months Robbins." Mark countered, still angry, but markedly calmer than he had been before. "Six months is a long time. You act like you still have feelings for her but you couldn't have been fighting too hard to stay away that long."

Arizona looked at him indignantly, tired of his accusations. "You know nothing of what I've been through Mark. Nothing!" She turned again, her hand on the doorknob so that she could leave the room

He crossed to the door and held it closed, looking down at her, "Enlighten me then."

The blonde huffed in annoyance, dropping her hand from the knob as she spun to face him. "I lost my leg trying to come back to her Mark! My fucking leg!" When she saw him open his mouth in confusion she cut him off by angrily tugging up the pant leg of her scrubs. She watched the man's face pale as the silver prosthetic gleamed up at him. "I survived a plane crash and almost starved to death in the desert only to get hung up on every time I tried to call Callie. But you know what? I still wanted to be with her. Even after being ignored while I struggled with a life altering disability." She smoothed down the pant leg and stood tall before the gaping plastic surgeon. "I pushed myself through months of physical therapy so that I could come back to her. So you want to know why I walked away for so long? Do you Mark?" She asked. When the tall man nodded dumbly she continued. "It's because for four months I couldn't walk! Yes. I may have walked away from Callie Torres in that airport and I will admit time and time again that it is the stupidest thing I have ever done. We may never get back to where we were. Friendship may be all that the future holds for Callie and me. But don't you dare question my feelings for her when I had to learn how to walk again in order to come back to her."

* * *

**Thanks to Duvetsnuggler for letting me throw ideas off a wall. **

**Also please forgive any choppiness that this chapter may hold. It is very hard to capture the utter chaos of a trauma room with just words.**

**Please take the time to tell me what you think. I'd really appreciate it.**


	17. Part IV: Ch 2

**Wow, thank you guys so much. I can't believe it! 150 reviews, y'all are the best.**

**I last updated yesterday so make sure you read about Callie in the trauma room and AZ giving Mark a piece of her mind. **

**Also remember, in the show, Callie delivered somewhere around 5 months. In this story she was already about 6.5 months pregnant when the crash occurred.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"How is she?" Arizona walked into what could only be described as organized chaos. Three procedures were occurring simultaneously, led by Drs. Shepherd, Altman, and Webber as Dr. Fields sat at the foot of the bed monitoring the baby's vitals on a separate monitor.

"She's hanging in there for now." Bailey said as she assisted Webber with their exploratory laparotomy. "We removed the spleen but the abdomen looks good for for the time being. We had to reverse the Heparin drip because her brain started to bleed again." Arizona looked to the head of the bed to see Derek and Meredith focusing intently on Callie's open skull as they whispered to each other, working in unison.

"More lap pads please." She heard Bailey order as Teddy instructed Cristina to set up for an ASD percutaneous repair.

"Prep the groin."

"Bring the echo. Passing the guide wire now."

Her attention was drawn away from the cardiac procedure as Arizona stepped into the gown that the scrub nurse offered her and looked up to the gallery as the garment was tied at her waist and neck. She couldn't help but be concerned when she saw Sloan sitting alone, anxiously watching the proceedings in the OR. "Someone should keep eyes on Mark."

Webber followed her line of sight and nodded when he saw the pale man sitting nervously in the observation deck. "Little Grey," he called to the resident who had just brought over the ultrasound machine for the cardio surgeons. When she looked up at him, he gestured with his head up to gallery.

Lexie nodded her acknowledgement, stripping out of her surgical gear as she walked past Arizona. The peds surgeon gave her a sympathetic look as they made eye contact, both women understanding better than anyone else the pain that the other felt when it came to Mark and Callie.

As Lexie headed up to the observation deck to sit vigil with her ex-boyfriend Arizona approached the group of surgeons who were operating on her ex-girlfriend. "Lucy, how is the baby?" Even though she tried to maintain a calm demeanor she couldn't help the panic that seeped into her voice as she saw just how damaged the brunette's body was. She stared, horrified, as her co-workers cut into the woman she'd loved.

Before the obstetrician could answer, Webber looked over at the peds surgeon who was rooted in place. "Do you need us to page Stark? Or have you got this Robbins?"

Snapping out of her daze, Arizona moved to sit behind the monitor. "I can do this." She turned her attention back to Lucy, "The baby?"

"The baby is hanging in there too. Callie started contracting before they opened her up but we got those stopped. She's 29 weeks. I've seen babies survive even at a lower gestational age but this is still risky. I want to keep her in there as long as possible."

Arizona nodded her agreement as she studied the pattern on the monitor. Callie's daughter's heart was strong and if she was anything like her mother she was going to be a fighter. "Did you give steroids?" She asked as she scanned the earlier print outs from the machine.

The OB froze. "I didn't." As the peds surgeon's head snapped up in alarm Lucy continued, "Callie was deteriorating so quickly after we stopped the contractions. The surgery started and I just…"

"How could you forget!" Arizona shouted at the maternal-fetal medicine fellow.

"Dr. Robbins." An immediate reprimand came from the chief.

"I'm sorry. I-I…" Lucy tried to explain as Arizona leapt to her feet.

Ignoring her, Arizona started listing instructions to Karev, "Get a neo-natal intubation tray and make sure we have ringers, bicarb, and epi on hand." As Alex headed to the supply room Arizona slid back into the seat beside the OB fellow who was administering the steroids. "You better hope we don't have to deliver this baby before those steroids have a chance to mature her lungs."

Lucy finished pushing the medicine. "Dr. Robbins I'm so sorry. I…"

"Just stop." Arizona commanded. "I just need you to do your job and perform a c-section if necessary. I'll take over from there." She continued to watch the monitor, the baby's heart beat regular for now.

* * *

"Intercranial Pressure is good." Derek said as he and Meredith stepped away from the head of the bed.

"Belly's good too." Bailey confirmed as she lifted her hands from the cavity. "Bleeding is controlled."

Everyone looked expectantly at Teddy and Cristina who were still diligently working. "And the heart?" Owen asked when neither woman responded.

"The ASD is more extensive than we anticipated." Cristina filled in.

"I'm having trouble placing the graft."

"What does that mean?" Owen questioned, still trying to decipher where they stood.

"Just give me a second!" The blonde cardio surgeon snapped as she stared at the ultrasound screen, cursing as the graft ripped and alarms started to blare through the OR.

Everyone scrambled into action as the monitor shrieked.

"Get me another suture!"

"Hang another bag of O neg."

"We've already replaced her whole blood volume."

Arizona's heart raced as the woman she cared so much about started to code on the table. Her attention was called back to the baby however when Lucy spoke up, "We've got late decels on the monitor. You've got a minute to get her heart back or I'm taking the baby out." The OB peeled away from the monitor and gestured for sterile gloves.

As Lucy got ready, Arizona stared at the monitor willing the baby's heart to speed back up. As the heart rate slowed with the contraction she knew there was nothing left to do. "The baby's gotta come out now. She's getting hypoxic." She shouted as Lucy stepped up to the OR table, scalpel in hand.

"I got it. Karev!" The OB called the resident over as she made her incision.

Arizona waited at the incubator and in less than a minute she saw Karev carrying a tiny bundle over to her. Before he even set the blue colored baby down Arizona had her stethoscope on, listening to her chest. "Suction and stimulation." She instructed Alex as she checked pulse and tone. The blonde found none and Alex also shook his head no. "Apgar's zero. Get me the intubation tray." Her eyes briefly flitted over to the OR table where Teddy had just shocked Callie's heart. Hearing the continuous tone from the brunette's monitor, Arizona forced herself to tune it out and focus on her patient. She quickly intubated the little girl and called for Alex to push the medications she'd ordered earlier. "Bag her." She used two fingers to pump the unmoving infant's chest. "Come on baby girl." She whispered to herself. "Come on. Come on." She paused her compressions to quickly throw her stethoscope back in her ears and listen to the baby's chest. She held her breath, listening closely until she heard a faint thump that was picked up with a _beep_ by the infant monitor. "We got a heart beat!"

As the monitor continued to emit its regular tone, Arizona tuned back into the noise of the OR just in time to hear another heart monitor resume its own regular beeping.

"We got mom back too." Teddy confirmed. "Heart's stable. We're going to close now."

The blonde peds surgeon let out a huge sigh of relief, turning back to her tiny charge whose chest now rose and fell regularly with the ventilator. Stroking soft black hair, Arizona leaned in to whisper to the infant, "Did you hear that baby girl? Your mommy is going to be alright." She heard Alex clear his throat and looked up, blushing beneath her surgical mask. "Ultrasound probe." She held her hand out, trying to regain her authority, thankful when the man handed it to her, no questions asked.

Arizona quickly scanned the little girl's chest and belly, staring intently at the monitor of the handheld device. "She's got a VSD. I want to operate now before she has a chance to deteriorate." She shut the ultrasound screen and handed it back to Alex as she adjusted the tubing that surrounded Callie's new daughter. "Go tell the charge nurses to get OR3 prepped for a neo-natal VSD repair and then go get consent from Sloan for the surgery."

As Alex left the room, the blonde turned back to face the OR table where Lucy, Derek, Bailey, and Cristina were closing their surgical sites, a new calm settling through the room. She peered up to the head of the bed towards Derek and caught a glimpse of Callie's scraped and swollen face. She blinked back tears and suppressed memories of her own accident as she looked back down at the little baby that was hooked to so many different machines. She was astonished at how similar the 2 pound baby looked to her mother. Drawing her glance back up to the OR table she made eye contact with Teddy. The cardio surgeon's eyes sparkled as she gave the other blonde an unmistakable smile, earning one back before Arizona turned to push the incubator out of the OR.

* * *

The surgery on Callie and Mark's newborn daughter had been a success. Mark had waited anxiously outside OR3 for hours as Arizona and Karev repaired his daughter's heart defect. Once they were done, he traded an update about Callie, who was now resting comfortably in the ICU, for information about his little girl.

Telling him that the infant was a fighter and her heart would be just fine, the blonde had given him a small smile before taking the incubator with "Baby Girl Torres" up to the NICU. That is where, five hours later, he found the pediatric surgeon.

Arizona sat in a rocking chair beside the incubator, a blanket draped over her lap. Her head rested on her shoulder and she was fast asleep. Mark looked at her guiltily, seeing the sheer exhaustion written on her face even in sleep. He put the cup of coffee he was holding on the counter before walking to the sleeping woman's side. A flash of metal caught his eye as he saw her left leg sticking out from under the blanket. Her navy blue scrubs had ridden up and were snagged on the ankle joint of her prosthetic, the silver glinting up at him in the dim light of the NICU.

Another wave of guilt washed over him as he crouched down to shift her blanket to cover up the leg that she had kept so carefully hidden since her return seven weeks earlier.

Sensing someone beside her, Arizona woke from her light sleep. Lifting her head off her shoulder, she focused tiredly on the plastic surgeon.

"Hey." He said softly, noticing her blue eyes peering up at him. He grabbed the coffee off the counter and handed it to her.

She took it with a nod of thanks, taking a greedy sip as she ran the fingers of her free hand through her messy hair. "How is Callie?" She spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb any of the sleeping infants.

"She's good." Mark looked intently at his new daughter who was sleeping in the incubator, still covered in tubes and wires. He slid his hand through one of the holes and put his finger in the little girl's hand, smiling as she wrapped her tiny fingers around it. "Derek says we can try lightening her sedation tomorrow or the next day."

"Good. That's great." Arizona murmured, still sipping her coffee, watching as father and daughter interacted. She was relieved to hear that Callie was doing better. Despite their recent history, Arizona felt sick when she thought of existing in a world where the brunette didn't.

"Yeah, it is." Mark agreed as he tore his glance away from the baby and looked at the woman seated in the chair beside him. "You should go see her."

Arizona nodded, "I will tomorrow. She needs her rest right now."

Mark nodded his understanding as he continued to observe the exhausted peds surgeon. "Thank you for everything you did today Arizona. I know it wasn't easy for you."

She gave him a sad smile, stretching forward to place her coffee cup back on the counter. "I lost my brother five years ago today…" She paused to look at her watch. "Well…yesterday now. I couldn't save him, but I could save this little girl. She's beautiful Mark."

Mark looked at her sympathetically, having learned of yet another thing the blonde had lost. He saw her shift uncomfortably in her chair before standing up, her pant leg falling to once again cover the metal ankle joint. "Thank you Robbins." He put a steadying hand on her back as she wobbled slightly before regaining her balance. "You should go rest. I've got her."

Arizona nodded. "I'll be back in a couple hours. I just need to get this leg off for a bit." She limped heavily to the door before turning back to face the new father. "Hey Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations."

* * *

**I'm not gonna lie, I really love that last scene and have wanted to write it since starting this story.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please take a moment to let me know what you think!**


	18. Part IV: Ch 3

**Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. This chapter is just a little bit of filler but it should tug at your heart a little bit too...well that's the hope anyways.**

**As always, any mistakes are mine.**

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Arizona had been in the hospital for well over thirty-six hours now. In fact, most of the attendings had. No one wanted to go home when their friend was intubated and unconscious in the ICU. She had been stable since surgery, her vital signs increasing appropriately as time passed. According to both Dr. Bailey and Dr. Shepherd, her current state of health was nothing short of a miracle considering how badly she was injured. Once she made it to the 12 hour post-surgery mark, Derek lightened her sedation, and now it was just a matter of time until Callie woke up.

As it approached midnight, the day after the accident, most of the doctors decided that it was time to go home. Callie was stable and she would wake up when she was ready. But despite knowing this, Mark had been going non-stop all day, bouncing between Callie's room in the ICU and his still unnamed daughter in the NICU. He was half asleep on a chair in Callie's room when a gentle tap on his shoulder woke him. The plastic surgeon opened his eyes to see Arizona standing over him. Immediately panicking he jumped up, "Is something wrong with the baby?" He assumed a problem with his daughter was the reason why Arizona had woken him up.

The blonde shook her head with a small smile. "No, she's doing great. She started breathing over the vent, but I still want to leave her on it for at least another day until her lungs are more mature. We're still giving artificial surfactant, but all things considered, she's one of the healthiest 29 week preemies I've ever seen."

Mark visibly relaxed as his eyes drifted to the woman in the bed.

The blonde followed his line of sight, "How is she?" She questioned. "Any change?"

The plastic surgeon shook his head, sighing as he ran a hand through his short hair. "She's no longer sedated, just waiting for her to wake up."

"She will when she's ready Mark. Callie is the heaviest sleeper I know, she's probably just taking her time, being stubborn. Why don't you go rest? I'll sit with her." The blonde was surprised at the offer that easily came out of her mouth.

Apparently Mark was too, "Are you sure Robbins? You look exhausted."

She held up her cup of coffee. "I'll be alright. Your daughter is going to need her daddy to be well rested." Her heart ached as she said those words. She could honestly say she was happy for the pair but that didn't stop her from thinking that it should have been her baby with Callie. Not Callie's baby with Mark. She took his vacated seat, leaning her head on her hand as she studied the sleeping woman in the bed. "Besides, no one should wake up alone."

He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. The two surgeons had always been at odds due to their relationships with Callie, but Mark had never felt more admiration or respect for the blonde woman than he did in this moment. "I'm sorry that all this happened to you Arizona."

Hearing her name Arizona straightened up, rubbing a hand over her face. "Yeah, me too. But what's done is done and it was stupid of me to come back thinking that Callie would still want me." She brought her hand down, resting it on her prosthetic. She drummed her fingers absentmindedly on the leg before giving a short laugh. "Stupid to think that she even could want me like this." She whispered to herself as she listened to the rhythmic clicking of her nails on plastic.

Mark furrowed his brow as he overheard her last comment. "Does Torres know?"

Arizona nodded, still clicking her fingernails on the prosthetic leg. "She's been providing my orthopedic follow up care."

"Then how could you think that she doesn't want you?"

"She sees me as her patient Mark." The blonde drew her flesh and blood leg towards her chest, resting the heel of her foot on her chair. "Besides, she's got you and her baby girl to worry about. She doesn't need me."

Mark looked at her sympathetically before resting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short. Talk to Torres when she wakes up. I'm gonna go get some rest."

Arizona nodded distractedly, leaning forward to rest her head on her bent knee. She heard the tall man walk to the door before he stopped and there was the sound of shuffling feet as he turned back towards the blonde. "Hey Robbins?"

"Yeah?" She questioned, her voice muffled against her leg.

"Thanks again for everything."

* * *

Arizona sat vigil at the brunette's bedside for several hours, every once in a while standing up to stretch out a kink in her incessantly throbbing leg. As she made yet another lap around the room she was startled as the monitor started to beep rapidly and Callie began to struggle on the bed.

The blonde rushed over, grabbing the terrified woman's shoulders, forcing her to make eye contact with her. "Callie. Callie, look at me. You were in a car accident but you're alright." She slapped the call bell, not breaking eye contact with the panicking brunette. "You're intubated. They'll take out the tube. Just breathe." The brunette continued to struggle, uncomprehending. "Callie. Callie! Calliope!" Arizona ordered and she felt the other woman relax beneath her hands. "Breathe. I've got you." The blonde felt her heart break as tearful brown eyes looked up at her questioningly. "You're okay. And so is your daughter." Arizona gave her a comforting smile, "She's beautiful Calliope."

Arizona stepped back as Dr. Bailey rushed into the room to the brunette's side. "Hey there. You gave us quite a scare. Callie, I'm going to take the tube out now." She gently peeled off the tape that secured the tube near Callie's mouth before grabbing the plastic. "Okay, on the count of three I need you to breathe out. One. Two. Three."

Callie blew out against the tube as Bailey deftly extubated her before raising the head of her bed as she started to cough violently.

Arizona grabbed her cup of water from the bedside and held the straw to Callie's lips. "Small sips." She said soothingly as the injured woman complied. "Good, good." She murmured to herself, rubbing the brunette's arm as Callie drank, her brown eyes flashing up to Bailey.

Miranda sat on the edge of the bed, taking Callie's bandaged hand lightly in her own. "You were in a car accident. We all operated on you. Shepherd fixed your brain, Altman fixed your heart, and we did an exploratory lap and you were fine. You're going to be just fine."

Callie nodded, still sipping the water Arizona offered while the standing blonde continued to rub gentle circles on her back.

Bailey looked at Arizona and then back to Callie before continuing. "Dr. Fields did an emergency c-section and we delivered your daughter. She's doing so good. She's up in the NICU."

The brunette pulled her lips away from the straw. "Can I see her?" Her voice was hoarse from the tube. She coughed again before taking another sip of water.

The general surgeon looked at her sadly, squeezing her hand gently. "Oh Honey, you know you can't. Not until you're doing better. We have you on antibiotics right now and we gotta wait for any post-surgical infections to resolve. I'm so sorry." Bailey said as Callie started to cry.

"I've missed everything." She sobbed. "I want to see her. Please. I have to see her."

"Callie…" Bailey started only to be cut off by the tearful brunette.

"No no. Please. I have to see her. What if she dies and I haven't even held her." Callie pleaded desperately.

Her heart breaking for her ex-girlfriend, Arizona pulled her phone out of her pocket. "She's not going to die Callie. She's doing great." She opened her photo album, sliding the phone into the brunette's lap. "There she is." The blonde said softly. "2 pounds of strong. She's a fighter. Just like her mother. She looks just like you Calliope, and she is doing great."

Callie let out another sob, this time crying tears of joy as she looked at the picture of her little girl.

Bailey gestured with her head for Arizona to come with her and the pair stepped away from the bedside, giving the brunette some time alone to look at her baby. "Do you make it a habit to take pictures of all your patients Arizona?"

The blonde shrugged. "I knew she'd want to see her daughter when she woke up."

The shorter woman looked up at her sympathetically, "How are you doing with all this?"

Arizona sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets. "I'm fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine and I'm doing my job taking care of Mark and Callie's new daughter." She paused, sensing the other woman's disbelief. "I'm fine."

Bailey gave her a disapproving look. "Maybe if you say that enough times you'll actually start to believe it…"

Their hushed conversation was interrupted as Mark dashed up to him. "One of the nurses said she was awake." He panted, looking around wildly before seeing the brunette sitting up in the bed, still looking at the picture on the phone. "How is she?" He asked.

"She's doing great." Bailey said, watching out of the corner of her eye as Arizona started to distance herself from the duo. "You can go in and see her now." She didn't even get to complete her sentence before Mark was in the room, pulling Callie into a gentle hug. The short woman turned, seeing that Arizona was now resting against the nurses' station, an unreadable expression on her face as she watched Callie and Mark embrace. Bailey walked over and stood beside her. "You need to be proud of yourself Robbins. You did great work today." She squeezed her arm gently.

Arizona gave her a sad smile, tearing her eyes away from the new parents. "Yeah." She paused, unwilling to let herself fall apart, "I've got to go get ready for rounds. I'll see you later." Before the other surgeon could respond, Arizona had already walked off, heading for the peds ward to start her third straight day in the hospital.

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**Well, there's some more angst. But Arizona is calling Callie Calliope again. Yay?**

**Please let me know what you think. Reviews...well, time off work makes me write faster. Reviews just make me happy and make me want to write. Reviews with ideas...now those are life savers. **

**Y'all are great. Thanks for reading.**


	19. Part IV: Ch 4

**Wow, the response to the last chapter was overwhelming! Y'all are seriously the best.**

**Please enjoy this new chapter! As always, any mistakes are mine.**

* * *

Arizona's shift had passed rather uneventfully which was a godsend, considering the blonde had already been exhausted at the start of her shift. Now, ten hours later, the pediatric surgeon was dead on her feet. Too tired to make it across town to her new apartment or even the few blocks to Teddy's she choose to lock herself in an on-call room and sleep until she felt rested enough to make it home.

She sat down on the bed, undoing the straps of her prosthetic leg, pushing the contraption off with a relieved sigh as air cooled her previously confined limb. Having learned her lesson from the last time she was on her feet too long, the blonde rummaged around in her bag, pulling out a compression bandage. She wound it tightly around her stump before slipping under the covers of the bunk bed, asleep before her head hit the pillows.

Two hours later she was unceremoniously woken up by her blaring pager. Groaning, the blonde sat up, wondering what could be so important that she was being paged when she was not on-call. She ran a hand through her hair as she squinted at the tiny screen, trying to make out the letters with her bleary, sleep fogged eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her fingers to her closed lids trying to massage away the last vestiges of sleep and when she opened her eyes again she was able to read the 911 page to the NICU. Cursing under her breath she swung her legs out of bed, stripping off the compression bandage and shoving her leg back in her prosthetic with an involuntary yelp. She pulled up her pants and dashed from the room, still tying the drawstring at her waist as she made her way quickly towards the neonatal intensive care unit.

"What's going on?" She asked the nurse nearest the door as she threw on one of the pink sterile gowns. The nurse didn't need to answer though as the blonde looked around, spying the blinking monitor and the man who had undoubtedly paged her. She should have known. This was only the 5th time all day… Making her way over to her patient, she looked at the sleeping infant, taking out her stethoscope and listening to her chest and stomach before reading her vitals on the monitor. When she was satisfied that nothing was acutely wrong she looked up. "Why did you page me this time Mark?"

The tall man looked at her frantically, "She was making these grunting sounds and struggling a little bit. She seemed like she was in pain. I…I didn't know what to do. I asked them to page you. What if she has intussusception or a bleed or…"

Arizona held her hand up to quiet the other surgeon. "Mark, she's fine. She was grunting because she's breathing over the vent like I told you this morning. Remember, I told you I was going to take her off of it after another day?"

Mark nodded and Arizona sighed. "I'll extubate her now."

As Arizona walked over to the supply closet to grab sterile gloves she heard Mark speak again. "We named her Sofia."

She turned and gave him a small smile before she put on the gloves and raised the hood of the incubator. "That's a pretty name." The peds surgeon quickly removed the tube from her little patient's throat, rubbing Sofia's chest to stimulate her breathing. Arizona smiled again as the little girl took her first unassisted raspy breaths. She continued to rub her chest, "There you go. That's a good girl. Good girl Sofia," she cooed gently as she reached over and slid a nasal cannula onto Sofia's face, hooking her up to the CPAP.

As the baby's breathing became regular, Arizona replaced the hood of the incubator and looked up at the worried father. "Mark, she's fine. She's great actually." Now that the adrenaline of the procedure had worn off, Arizona was once again exhausted. "Stark was the peds attending on-call by the way. You should have paged him." She couldn't keep the irritation out of her voice.

"I know." The plastic surgeon said, his face now the picture of relief as he looked at his sleeping daughter. "I just wanted you. She deserves the best and you're…"

The blonde held up a hand to cut him off. "I'm exhausted, I'm in pain, and I can't keep doing this. Next time you need something, I need you to page the doctor on-call." She dropped her hand, shaking her head tiredly as she walked out of the NICU, not looking back even as the tall man called her name.

* * *

Callie's restful and healing sleep was currently being disturbed by an annoying buzzing sound. The brunette's pain was controlled by a morphine drip, but she was now lucid enough to be aware of her surroundings. She looked around her ICU room, spying the offending object on the edge of her bed. Callie peered at it curiously, not recognizing the pink phone for a moment until she figured out it was the phone that Arizona had left in her lap when she was showing her a picture of her daughter earlier that day. Realizing that the blonde must have forgotten about it Callie continued to look at the incessantly buzzing object, unable to stop herself from reading the message that flashed across the screen:

_Arizona, we haven't heard from you in a few days. We're worried about you honey. Please call us. –xo Mom & Dad_

Callie read and reread the message until the screen went black. She pondered for a moment why Arizona's parents were worried before memories of the text she'd received just before she crashed came rushing back. _Tim_.

When they had been together, Arizona had told the brunette all about her older brother. How he was her hero and best friend. How he'd died serving his country. And how Arizona tried every day to honor his memory. Knowing all this, when Callie had received her desperate text message she'd realized that the other woman was struggling with the anniversary of his death. Callie remembered that she'd just started texting back an offer to meet the blonde when the accident happened.

Choking on a sob as the memories bombarded her, she flailed her arm out, catching her call bell, pressing it incessantly until Teddy ran into the room.

By habit cardio surgeon immediately started to examine her. "What is it? What's wrong?" She asked breathlessly as Callie continued to sob on the bed.

The brunette met the eyes of her ex-girlfriend's best friend, "Where is Arizona? I need to see her. I need to…" Callie gasped for breath as Teddy increased the oxygen flowing through her nasal cannula. She started to relax as more pure air reached her lungs.

"Callie, Arizona is at home. Have you tried calling her?" The tall blonde couldn't help but be secretly thrilled that the brunette was asking for her ex but also knew that the peds surgeon was in no way able to stay in the hospital for even another moment.

Callie shook her head tearfully. "S-she left her phone here."

Teddy looked over at the edge of the bed, spying the pink cased phone that obviously belonged to the once bubbly blonde. Picking it up, Teddy slipped her friend's phone in her pocket before addressing the woman in the bed once more. "Callie," she started gently. "Arizona has been going non-stop for more than two days now. Between her scheduled shifts and your accident and being constantly paged to the NICU by Mark, she's fried. You know she's the one who started Sofia's heart? And did her surgery. She's been taking very good care of your daughter but now she needs to take care of herself. Do you understand?"

The brunette nodded as she was overwhelmed with many of the feelings she had once harbored for the absent blonde.

"How 'bout this?" Teddy said sympathetically, rubbing Callie's shoulder. "When I see her, I'll tell her to come by. Is that good? I know she wants to see you, but she is just so tired. You both need time to rest so why don't you do that now okay? Take a nap and I promise I'll come back with more pictures of Sofia and I will also deliver your message to Arizona."

Callie once again nodded sadly as she shifted down in the bed, closing her eyes as the cardio surgeon affectionately squeezed her shoulder before walking out of the room.

* * *

Arizona balanced on her remaining leg, grasping the hand rail that she'd had installed in the shower of her new condo. Her chin rested on her chest as she let the warm water pour over her, soothing her aching body. Wet blonde locks shielded her face as she mentally recapped the past few days. From the anniversary of her brother's death, to Callie's near fatal car accident and Sofia's surgery, to Mark's incessant paging, she was ready to call it quits.

She could sympathize with Mark, really, she could. Though Arizona didn't have children of her own, she was around enough of them to know that Mark's worried parent act was perfectly normal. Maybe it was a little exaggerated because he was a doctor and he knew of all the scary medical risks a preemie faced, but still, it was in line with the behavior of normal new parents.

What she couldn't reconcile was the building anger she now felt towards the new little family. Callie had been in a car crash. Arizona had been in a plane crash. Callie had gone through her windshield, sustaining serious head and chest injuries. Arizona had fallen out of the sky and sustained a serious compound fracture. Callie and her baby, thanks to the magic of modern medicine and the unmatched skill of Derek Shepherd, Teddy Altman, and Arizona herself, would walk away from this accident with no lasting damage. Arizona…hadn't walked away. She hadn't walked for another three months after her crash and she would never walk again without the aid of a prosthetic leg. While Callie would have a small scar on her chest and a baby to remind her of her accident, Arizona would have a limp, permanent disfigurement, and the memory of vultures eating the two dead men beside her.

The blonde couldn't help the sob that bubbled up on her lips as she leaned back against the wall, her foot slipping out from under her causing her to fall, landing on her rear end on the shower floor. She hugged her knee to her chest, berating herself for being angry with the woman she was irrevocably in love with. Despite everything, she couldn't forget the brunette who had made a lasting impression on her soul. They had intended to spend their lives together. But life wasn't fair. Tim's death had taught her that. As the water continued to pour over her and she sobbed until she was gasping for breath she wondered if life would ever give her a break. If she'd ever be able to get over Callie, or if she'd spend the rest of her life forced to look in on everyone living their lives as she stood on the outside, stuck in time. Unable to move on.

* * *

**Poor 'Zona. She's really having a rough time with all of this. On the plus side, Callie's realized that she wants Arizona, even as Arizona is on the verge of giving up. So now, the ball is in Callie's court. Will she be able to get her soul mate back?**

**This concludes the end of Part IV of the story.**

**Part V will come next. How should Callie reveal her feelings to our favorite peds surgeon? Is Arizona's depression and PTSD going to cause a downward spiral? What amusing situations should our favorite characters find themselves in?**

**If there is something you'd like to see in this story, please let me know. If you have any ideas, please please let me know.**

**As always, please review. They make me super happy.**


	20. Part V: Ch 1

**Holy crap! More than 200 reviews. Thank you so so much!**

**I updated less than 24 hours ago so if you didn't read about Arizona breaking down in the shower, then you missed the last chapter.**

**So begins part V of our story!**

* * *

Teddy waited almost a whole day before making her way across town to Arizona's condo in the pouring Seattle rain. She needed to return the blonde woman's phone but she hoped that without disturbances Arizona had been able to catch up on the sleep she so desperately needed. Also, considering she had the other woman's phone and couldn't call to schedule a drop-off time, she just prayed that her friend was even home as she stepped onto the porch.

She was in luck. Shortly after she rung the bell, she could hear the rhythmic clicking of someone on crutches making their way to the door. "Who is it?" Arizona's voice was muffled through the hardwood.

"Arizona, its Teddy. Let me in please it's pouring out here." She bounced on the balls of her feet, shivering as the rain drenched her clothes. The lock clicked and the door swung open, allowing the wet cardio surgeon to dash into the toasty home. "Better. It's summer. It should not be this freakin' cold." She turned around to see Arizona pushing the door shut, looking at her visitor with an amused raised eyebrow. Teddy observed the other blonde who stood before her, balanced on crutches, her prosthetic leg probably discarded in some other room. "You still look exhausted."

Arizona sighed, the amused look slipping off her face as she made her way past her friend, leading her to the living room. She sat back on the couch, depositing her crutches on the floor before leaning forward to the coffee table and picking up the beer that she had been drinking. "I haven't been sleeping well." She admitted. There was a pause before she added, "There's beer and wine in the fridge." She nodded her head towards the kitchen, taking a swig of the brown liquid as Teddy shrugged off her wet coat and headed in the indicated direction.

Teddy grabbed a beer from the fridge and opened it, the top clattering on the counter as it bounced to a rest. "Arizona, there's practically _only_ beer and wine in the fridge."

The blonde on the couch drew her leg up, curling it underneath her as Teddy sat in the arm chair. "I just moved in. What do you expect? Besides," She pointed to the takeout container on the coffee table, "I was never much of a cook. Cashew chicken?" She handed the takeout box to her friend, who accepted it with a nod of thanks before taking a few bites. "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit Teddy?" She swirled her beer around in the bottle, watching the sloshing liquid before taking another sip.

Teddy shifted on the couch, still chewing on the Thai food as she pulled Arizona's pink phone out of her pocket. She swallowed, "Look familiar. You left it in Callie's room."

"Oh yeah…" Arizona reached for it, setting it on the couch beside her once the device was handed over.

"She wants to see you you know."

Arizona shook her head, staring intently at the bottle in her hand, like her beer was the most interesting thing in the world. "I can't Teddy." She sniffled, biting her lip to keep it from trembling. After a moment she was able to suppress the rush of emotions and made eye contact with the cardio surgeon who was looking at her in concern. "It hurts too much. And I am just so mad. I know that we were broken up when she slept with someone else, but still…I am s-so mad." Her voice quivered and she broke eye contact, looking back at the bottle in her hands. "I'm even more mad that that person has a penis and I know she's bisexual. I know…I know. It's completely irrational, but she was everything. I don't do newborns but I took a chance on her. I loved her. She was the best thing that ever happened to me and I hate her for it. I hate her for making me love her."

"Arizona…" Teddy said gently, crossing over to sit beside the other woman. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her tight as the shorter blonde continued to talk.

"She crashed because she was texting me. I crashed because I was coming home to her. We caused so much damage in each other's lives. But she…she'll be fine. She has Mark and she has Sofia and she will be just fine. I won't." She paused to take another sip of her beer as Teddy pulled her even closer. "I don't have a family here and I don't have a baby and I don't have a leg."

"You have me." Teddy offered tentatively.

The peds surgeon gave a sad laugh but offered her friend a true smile. "I have you. That's true." She rested her head on the taller woman's shoulder as Teddy rubbed her arm soothingly.

"Things will get better Arizona. I don't know how. And I don't know when. But we're gonna get you through this." She paused, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of what she wanted to say next. "You may not like this suggestion, so please don't bite my head off…but I have a friend who is a counselor at Seattle Pres…do you…"

"Yes." The smaller woman cut her off, raising her head to meet Teddy's eye. "Yes and thank you."

The cardio surgeon had to admit that she was surprised by Arizona's willingness to go to counseling, though maybe a friend's offer was all she had needed. Teddy smiled, leaning over to give her best friend a kiss on the temple. "I'll take you there tomorrow okay? Why don't you try to get some sleep now?" She stood and helped the other woman off the couch, handing her her crutches, as she gave her an affectionate smile. "We'll get you better Arizona I promise."

* * *

Three weeks into her therapy Arizona was starting to feel mentally better but physically worse. Since the three straight days she had spent on her feet, the blonde had been plagued by unbearable phantom pain. Finally as she had limped around her therapists office for the fourth session in a row Jan, her new counselor, suggested that she seek the help of a prosthetist. Arizona had originally been resistant to the idea until Jan reminded her that her residual limb would be constantly reshaping itself for several years post amputation and that she may find comfort with a new socket for her artificial limb.

Unfortunately for the blonde, Seattle Presbyterian was not a rehabilitation hospital which is why Arizona now found herself standing between the parallel bars in the physical medicine and rehabilitation wing at Seattle Grace Mercy West while Dr. David Moore applied plaster molding material to what remained of her left thigh.

"How's your pain Arizona?" He looked up at her as he shaped the material.

"It's okay today." She said quietly. "I started on low dose Neurontin for the nerve pain so…" She trailed off with a small shrug of her shoulders

"That should help." He nodded, standing up. "That'll take about 30 minutes to dry." He referred to the white plaster encasing her residual limb. "Have you considered a spinal cord stimulator? It could also help dull the pain."

"I'm really not looking to have another surgery."

"It's a simple outpatient procedure. It could drastically improve your quality of life Arizona. You really should consider it."

Arizona fixed him with a glare, but immediately felt bad for being angry with a man who had been nothing but helpful. The sour look left her face as she sighed, adjusting her grip on the parallel bars. "I have considered it. Unfortunately the only surgeon in the area who does the procedure is Derek Shepherd and I work with him."

"And he doesn't know about the leg." David supplied, pieces of the puzzle clicking in place.

The blonde shook her head. "I'm not ready for anyone else to find out."

The prosthetist gave her a sympathetic smile, squeezing her arm. "Okay Arizona. I understand. I'll drop it. I'll be back shortly to check on you." He grabbed a towel as he walked into his office, wiping the plaster off his hands.

Arizona stood alone in the room, propped up between the parallel bars. She dropped her chin to her chest, closing her eyes and trying to relax as the cool plaster soothed her burning limb.

Twenty five minutes later she was startled out of her thoughts as the door to the PT room swung open. Quickly looking over her shoulder she was almost thrown off balance as she saw Mark Sloan pushing Callie into the room in a wheelchair.

"Hey David, I know we're early but…" Mark called out before two sets of eyes landed on the blonde.

Arizona pivoted on her foot, turning her body so that she grasped the same bar with both hands. She cursed her luck as the duo made eye contact with her. She'd successfully avoided them for three weeks unless she needed to provide updates about Sofia. But now here she stood, in spandex shorts without her prosthetic in front of Mark and Callie, feeling vulnerable and exposed. "Can you um…" She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry as she looked at the seated brunette. Callie's face was hard to read but Arizona thought she saw something curious, a once familiar look of longing, in the other woman's eyes. Unsure what to make of that, she cleared her throat. "I'm almost done. Could you please…"

Any request she was going to make was stopped in her throat as David stepped back out of his office with his assistant Jake. "Ah Callie, you're early." He looked nervously between Callie, Mark, and Arizona, knowing that his blonde patient was concerned for her privacy. "Jake, why don't you get started with Dr. Torres and I'll join you shortly."

Arizona relaxed, but only slightly as the two shocked brunettes were led away from her towards the other side of the small gym. She watched as Jake and Mark assisted Callie out of her wheelchair to balance between her own set of parallel bars. Arizona noticed that Callie continued to stare at her, unable to take her eyes away. After a several second staring match, the blonde's attention was drawn back to her prosthetist as David cleared his throat.

The tall man looked at her uncomfortably as he ran a hand through his hair. "I am so sorry Arizona. I know you didn't want anyone else to know. I didn't even think to check if another surgeon was my next patient.

His apology was so sincere that any irritation the blonde felt towards him dissipated. "It's okay David. They already knew." She pivoted again on her foot so that she could grab both bars again. "Can the cast come off now?"

"Yes." He knelt in front of her, sliding a thin piece of metal between her skin and the now hardened material. He gently eased the mold off before handing her a wet rag to wipe away any vestiges of plaster. "I'll get this socket shaped right away Arizona. How bout you come back in two days to try it on."

Arizona nodded as she picked up her borrowed crutches, swinging gracefully on them back to the exam table. "That will be fine." She hoisted herself onto the table, reaching for her ill-fitting prosthetic that was propped up near her. She quickly donned the leg and her pants, tying the drawstring at her waist as she looked up at the prosthetist. "I work on Wednesday until 10pm. Is that too late?"

David shook his head. "I'll clear my schedule that way we can make sure this doesn't happen again." They both looked over to the far side of the room where Callie was taking unsteady steps between the parallel bars. Both of the other surgeons were clearly distracted because their eyes kept glancing towards the blonde.

"Thank you David." Arizona nodded her head towards the man, grabbing her purse and shaking his hand before limping from the room. She'd only made it halfway down the hall before she heard feet pounding after her. Spinning around she came face to face with a panting Mark Sloan. "What!" She snapped. Though she wasn't mad at her prosthetist, the blonde was definitely still irritated at the man who stood before her now.

"Robbins, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. We didn't know you were gonna be in there. I…"

"What's done is done Mark. Just do me a favor and keep your mouth shut okay?"

He nodded. "I won't tell." The plastic surgeon's words were not acknowledged by the blonde as she turned once again to walk off. Having something else to say, he reached out and grabbed her arm, causing her to stop in her tracks. "Robbins, one more thing." He waited for her to turn to face him. When she didn't he maintained his grasp on her upper arm and continued speaking. "She wants you in there. Not me. You don't owe us anything. I know that. But please. Go in there and be with her. She's struggling and it's you she needs."

* * *

**Ooh a cliff hanger. Next chapter will pick up right where this left off. Will Arizona go to Callie? Has therapy been helping? Both ladies know they love each other. Now they just gotta admit it to the other instead of telling their respective best friends.**

**Please please please tell me what you think and I will try to get the next part out ASAP.**


	21. Part V: Ch 2

**Thanks so much for the reviews. They mean a lot to me.**

**Y'all seem to be pretty split on what AZ should do. Which means unfortunately I can't please everyone. Just know that whatever AZ decides, doesn't come easy for her as you will see.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, any mistakes are mine.**

* * *

"_She wants you in there. Not me. You don't owe us anything. I know_ that._ But please. Go in there and be with her. She's struggling and it's you she needs."_

Arizona stood stalk still in the hallway, still facing away from the plastic surgeon that was lightly holding her arm. As his words echoed through her head she felt conflicted. On the one hand, being needed by the brunette felt good. It was what Arizona had wanted for so long. But on the other hand, Arizona had spent the past two months teetering on the edge of giving up that dream. She felt Mark release her arm and she took an automatic step away from him, giving herself space to think. A few different thoughts ran through her head. As much as she wanted to walk away, she was unwilling to give the plastic surgeon any more ammunition to use against her. If she stayed and did this then he could never accuse her of bailing again.

But then again, she really didn't like the man and couldn't give a rat's ass what he thought of her. As she started to walk away she then thought about the orthopedic follow up care Callie had been providing for her before the car accident. If she went in there, then the favor was returned and she didn't owe the brunette anything. But did she even owe the brunette anything to begin with? She sighed, that was an argument she'd have with herself another day she decided, pushing that idea to the back of her mind.

What it all boiled down to was the fact that she'd been abandoned. In her time of need, Arizona had been abandoned by the woman she loved more than anything. So why should she go in there? Sure Callie needed her now but where had the brunette been when their rolls had been reversed.

Arizona was working with her therapist. She was trying to forgive, but it wasn't that easy. There was nothing easy about Callie and Arizona. Every time the blonde thought about her ex she felt like she was on a rollercoaster, flip-flopping between loving and loathing the orthopedic surgeon. As she stood in the hall, Mark's eyes still burning holes in the back of her head, she realized that lately that ride had been plunging downwards with no signs of stopping.

With a shake of her head she started to walk off, widening the gap between her and Mark, until she was bombarded with the memories of her own physical therapy. She stopped in her tracks as the memories overwhelmed her. Arizona had had her father, and Callie would have Mark. She would be supported. But would she be understood? Daniel Robbins had been great, doing everything his daughter needed and more. But what he couldn't comprehend was just how damn hard it was to retrain your body to do something you'd been doing for close to 35 years. As much as she wanted to run for the hills…as much as she deserved to…she couldn't in good conscience let someone else suffer the way she had. Balling her hands into fists, she turned slowly on the spot to face the waiting man. "Then you have to go. I cannot go in there and be with both of you. I won't do it."

"But I…"

She held up a hand. "It's your choice Mark. Either you leave or I leave. Come back and pick her up at the end of her appointment but I cannot go in there and provide the help that someone needs to get through what may possibly be the most grueling thing she has ever done with you hovering over my shoulder. I will help her with her PT because I remember just how much it sucked for me. But I will only go in there if you keep out. Got it?"

"Robbins, you can't just kick me out." He protested.

Unwilling to play his games she turned back around and started to walk down the hall, away from the Rehabilitation wing. "Okay then."

Growling in frustration he ran after her, stopping in front of her, his hands raised defensively. "Okay okay. I'll go. Will you please just go in there?"

The blonde nodded her head curtly before once again turning around, this time stalking down the hall towards the gym she had just vacated, not looking over her shoulder as she threw open the door and entered the room.

As the door closed behind her, she paused briefly, closing her eyes and taking slow deep breaths to calm herself down. It did nobody any good if she lost her cool now. It certainly wouldn't help her remain professional with the brunette who was now looking at her desperately. Sealing herself, she opened her eyes, approaching the woman who was struggling to hold herself up on the parallel bars, her arms shaking with the effort.

The blonde quickly brought the wheelchair up behind Callie, locking the wheels before grabbing the taller woman under her arms. With Jake's help, they lowered her into the wheelchair where she sat, gasping for breath. "Jake, can you excuse us for a moment?" Arizona asked the PT assistant as she walked around the parallel bars, crouching down as best she could in front of the seated woman.

As the man complied Arizona reached up and rested her hand on one of the bars, grasping it in order to maintain her balance as she looked up at Callie. "Callie, I know this is hard. And I know you want to quit." Arizona kept her hands to herself even as tears started to well up in the brunette's eyes. "But you can't quit. People are going to tell you that you have to do this for Sofia. But don't listen to them. Don't even think about doing this for Sofia. You have to do this for yourself. You need to push yourself, but you also need to be patient because it's not all going to come back in a day. It can take months. And getting angry at yourself does no good." Standing back up, she held her hands out to the other woman. "Are you ready to try again?"

When Callie nodded, Arizona pulled her back to her feet, helping her balance between the bars. "Arizona thank you for coming." She slowly moved her right leg forward, taking a shaky step as the blonde moved backwards, keeping a watchful eye on her.

"Yeah." Arizona said, focusing on Callie's walking rather than looking at the brunette's face. She couldn't afford to let herself get drawn in by those soulful brown eyes. She wouldn't do it. "Come on, take another step. You can do it." Arizona backed away, to the end of the parallel bars. "Keep coming Callie."

Callie took a few more steps and stopped, her arms quivering as she tried to hold herself up. "I can't do it. I-I need to stop."

Arizona shook her head, not moving from her place at the end of the bars. "No. Remember I told you you have to know when to push and when to be patient. This is one of those pushing times. Take another step Callie. You can do it."

The brunette grit her teeth and forced herself forward again, taking a few more steps until her legs buckled under her and she collapsed to the ground. As she tried to push herself back to a seated position she was surprised to see the blonde lowering herself to the floor in front of her.

Arizona's prosthetic leg stuck out awkwardly, her right leg tucked underneath her as she leaned forward from her seated position and grabbed Callie's arms, pulling her so that she was seated upright on the ground. "Thank you." Callie said breathlessly.

The blonde gave her a slight nod, waiting patiently as Callie's breathing became more regular.

Once the orthopedic surgeon's lungs stopped burning she looked at the woman seated before her. "Arizona can we talk?"

Arizona groaned internally had wanted to avoid a situation like this. She pushed herself back up to her feet, helping the brunette stand before guiding her back into her wheelchair. "It depends."

Callie looked up at her, shifting so that she was more comfortable. "I've wanted to see you. I miss you so much and I…" She was cut off by the blonde who afforded her a sad smile.

"Callie, that's what I wanted to hear from you when I got back. But now, with everything that's happened…We just can't talk about this now. You need to focus on getting better and I…well I need to too."

The brunette looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "If you don't want to talk to me, then why'd you come in here Arizona?"

"Why?" The blonde's crystal blue eyes stared straight at her, making sure she heard every word. "Because this is the hardest thing you'll ever have to do Callie. And you need someone here who understands what it is like to have to relearn how to walk. That's not something that Mark can help you with. But it is something that I am quite familiar with. I will help you. I want to help you. But any heart to heart, any feelings that we may or may not have need to be left outside this room." She walked over to the corner of the room and grabbed a medicine ball, bringing the weighted sphere to the wheelchair bound woman. "Do you understand?" She put the ball in Callie's lap.

Callie's heart ached as she nodded, using the heels of her hands to pick up the heavy ball. As Arizona guided her through a range of movements, she breathed in the blonde's intoxicating scent, relishing in the familiarity even though the woman she knew she wanted was just out of her grasp.

* * *

During PT Arizona had put Callie through her paces and now the brunette lay exhausted in bed as she mentally recapped the day. Arizona was right when she said that physical therapy would be the hardest thing she ever had to do and Callie couldn't help the sob that welled up in her throat as she realized just how much the blonde had had to endure. Arizona had completed her physical therapy without her friends by her side. She'd somehow had enough self-motivation to make it through painful workout after workout to retrain her battered body so that she could come home walking tall.

Callie berated herself for being so stupid. How had she let this woman fall through her fingers? For months she'd pushed Arizona away, only to realize how much she loved the blonde when it was too late. She had pushed and pushed when she should have been patient. Wasn't that the lesson Arizona had taught her today? If she had been patient would she have slept with Mark for the first time the night Arizona called? Would she have crawled in bed with her friend had she known that the blonde was calling her from a hospital bed after surviving the most traumatic experience of her life?

She squeezed her eyes shut and continued to cry as conflicting thoughts overwhelmed her tired brain. If she hadn't slept with Mark, then she wouldn't have Sofia, but if she had just listened to Arizona then maybe both women wouldn't be as damaged and heartbroken as they were now. She could have helped the blonde through her recovery, brought her back to Seattle where she would have been surrounded by a wonderful support group. The same support group that Callie thanked God for every day since her car crash.

Her heart broke as she thought about the blonde surgeon who had at one time radiated nothing but joy and love but was now full of pain and anger. Who was struggling with her own physical and emotional challenges even as she helped Callie conquer hers. The blonde who still held Callie's heart even when it seemed she no longer wanted it

* * *

**I hope this chapter did not disappoint. As many of you have said, the ball's in Callie's court now. She has to make Arizona realize that she is still loved. Which will be hard considering that AZ has given up on that hope and has body image issue to boot.**

**One reviewer told me not to rush this story, and they are right. That would be a disservice to all of us and Calzona. So I really hope you continue to stick with me as the story unfolds.**

**To the reviewer who said that I must have it all written since I update so quickly, nope! I normally write a chapter, give myself a couple hours, re-check it and see if I still like it, then post it with nothing else written. I have ideas and I know where the story is going, but that is the reason I ask y'all for ideas because I can fit so many other things into the skeleton I have worked out in my head.**

**As always, please let me know what you think, reviews make me happy. And as stated above, any ideas? Let me have 'em!**


	22. Part V: Ch 3

**Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter. The good and the not so happy.**

**I updated about 12 hours ago so if you didn't read about AZ helping Callie with PT then go back.**

**Several things I want to address: A few people have commented that I'm being not so nice to Callie. That isn't my intention. Yes, the majority of this story is told from either Arizona's POV or about Arizona but at the moment I am juggling several different story lines: AZ's own messed up head, Callie's recovery, Calzona getting back together, and of course the leg. Both women are currently struggling with both physical and emotional problems and I am focusing more on Arizona's because I feel like her story hasn't been told as well as Callie's. Neither woman is completely at fault and neither woman is faultless. They both made mistakes and they have both wronged the other. Even Arizona doesn't think that Callie is completely at fault. That is why she keeps _wrestling_ with her anger. She knows that she is having irrational thoughts and she is trying to control them. Though it hasn't been explicitly stated, one reason that she can't discuss relationships any time Callie broaches the subject is because she just doesn't feel worthy of love and that is something that we will tackle later.**

**I really appreciate all of you who have stuck with me through this story. And I hope you understand what I said. I adore both characters and adore them as a couple even more. But anything worth fighting for takes time. This chapter takes a few steps forward in several of the subplots, no pun intended (you'll see what I mean :-P ). **

**Now please enjoy the longest chapter that I have posted to date.**

* * *

Arizona ventured up to the peds ward at the start of her shift. Leaning on the edge of the main nurses' station she picked up a few charts and quickly flipped through them, the end of her pen finding its way into her mouth as she thought about each of her patients. Not noticing anything pressing she set the files to the side, still absentmindedly chewing on her pen cap as she reflected on the past few hours…

_The blonde had arrived three hours before the start of her shift. Though Callie normally had her physical therapy in the afternoons, Arizona was scheduled for a swing shift that started at 2:00 pm and didn't end until 2:00 the next morning. Because of this, Arizona had asked Callie to move her PT to the morning so that she could continue to accompany her._

_They had been working together for just over a week and already Callie was making great progress with the blonde's help. Though still unable to walk unassisted, she was now able to walk the full length of the parallel bars without having to stop. As Callie pushed herself during each session she decided that Arizona had to be tougher than any physical therapist she could have been assigned. _

_The blonde was relentless, constantly pushing her to go further or go faster. Occasionally the pair would have a little spat; Callie thought Arizona was being too demanding or Arizona thought that Callie could do more before resting. But for the most part they had reached a nice place where arguments weren't aimed at each other but rather at the situation. Every so often, when she was particularly frustrated or tired Callie would spout off some not so nice things at the blonde but Arizona would always let them roll off her back. She would usually heave a short chuckle before telling the brunette about the rather unladylike things she had said to her father and her physical therapist. _

_Today's session had started just like any other, Arizona not arriving to the Rehabilitation wing until after Mark had dropped Callie off on his way to surgery. They had greeted each other and exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to work. This time they started the session with the medicine ball before Callie decided that she was ready to try walking again. They made a few slow trips across the room between the bars, Arizona helping Callie sit and rest as she reached each end. As the reached the end of the two hour long session the brunette asked to make one more pass. Once Callie was upright and balanced, Arizona stood at the end of the parallel bars, hands in her pockets as she watched the brunette walk slowly towards her. When Callie reached the end of the bars she paused, holding her breath when she realized that she now stood mere inches away from the shorter woman._

_Blue eyes met brown for a second as they both stood still until a door opened and Arizona was snapped out of her daze. The blonde stepped back quickly, widening the gap between them as Jake walked from the hallway to the office, giving the pair a quick greeting before stepping inside. Once the door had swung shut, Arizona cleared her throat with a small cough. "You…you did really well Callie. Why don't you try walking back to the other end before sitting down?" She was now focusing her eyes anywhere but the brunette. She helped the other woman turn around between the bars, looking at pale fingers on tan skin as she grasped Callie's elbow. _

_Once Callie was facing the other way she started to walk, watching the peds surgeon out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help the smile that spread on her face when she saw Arizona's cheeks flush as the blonde continued to look away from her. "How is your leg Arizona?" Rather than risk chasing the blonde off with a conversation that had been deemed 'off-limits' Callie opted to ask a question that was appropriate given their current location._

_Arizona picked up her pace and positioned herself in front of Callie at the end of the parallel bars before she decided to answer the brunette's query. "It's good. The new socket has helped with the pain and as long as I have the leg off for at least eight hours a day I don't have a problem with swelling."_

_Callie smiled, out of breath by the time she reached where the blonde was standing. "Good, that's good." She wheezed as Arizona helped her sit down in the wheelchair. "Okay, I think I'm done for the day." The brunette was breathing heavily as she looked up at Arizona._

_The peds surgeon gave her a small smile. "Good work today." She paused, chewing her lip for a moment before she spoke again. "Do you want me to wheel you up to your room before my shift starts? You know…since Mark is in surgery?"_

"_Yeah, I'd appreciate that." Callie waited until the blonde was behind her, pushing the wheelchair before a happy smile spread on her face._

Arizona had gone straight from Callie's room to the pediatric ward where she was now standing, her pen still between her teeth as she drummed her fingers absentmindedly on the counter. She was pulled out of her daydream when Lexie Grey approached her.

"Dr. Robbins?" The younger of the Grey sisters questioned, trying to get the peds attending's attention. When Arizona looked up at her she continued. "I'm on your service today."

Arizona straightened up, pulling the pen out of her mouth and sticking it in her messy bun. "Oh good. Tell me what we've got." She started walking down the hall as the young resident followed. The blonde always enjoyed having Lexie on her service. She felt like she'd gotten to know her pretty well back when Lexie was dating Mark and Arizona was dating Callie. And now that neither of them were with their aforementioned exes, they shared an unspoken bond that gave them a pretty good understanding of one another. Even on top of all that, Lexie just knew how to speak to children _and _their parents which was an important skill in pediatrics.

Lexie juggled the charts in her hands, coming up with the one she needed. She stuck the others under her arm and opened the one she had selected. "Benjamin Mason, 6 years old, room 2319. He presented to the ER last night after half a day of abdominal pain and vomiting. We chalked it up to a 24 hour bug but admitted him for IV fluids because he was so dehydrated. Today he's gotten worse. The vomiting has increased, the emesis is bilious and smells awful and he is running a 102.2 fever."

Arizona took the chart from her and flipped through it. "Um…Okay. Draw a CBC, a CMP, and include a Lipase test."

"You're thinking pancreatitis?" The brunette questioned as she followed the senior surgeon to the room.

They paused outside the doorway to continue their conversation. "I am. I want to examine him first, but if his exam goes the way I think it will and the Lipase is positive, I want you to confirm with a CT and start him on TPN."

Lexie nodded her understanding before the pair entered the room.

Arizona put on her bright smile as she approached the nervous looking parents and the uncomfortable looking boy in the bed. "Hi, I'm Dr. Robbins. You already met my assistant, Dr. Grey. I understand that Benjamin here hasn't been feeling well. Are you mom and dad?"

The couple nodded, the man reaching out to shake Arizona's hand as the woman crossed her arms nervously, looking at her son with concern. "He goes by Benji." She spoke quietly, chewing her lip. "He's never been sick like this before."

"I know it's scary." Arizona said comfortingly, she was used to concerned parents, she dealt with them every day. "But we're here to help him out. I've asked Dr. Grey to draw some labs, but first I just want to examine Benji's belly." She walked over to the unhappy child, smiling gently at him she introduced herself. "Hi Benji, my name's Arizona." She gave a small laugh when he looked up at her curiously. "I know. It's a funny name right?" She scrunched up her nose and nodded her head as he gave her a small smile. "I'm just going to look at your tummy okay? I want you to tell me if anything hurts. Can you do that?"

When the small boy nodded his head, she raised his hospital gown. She raised her hands to show them to her. "I'm just going to feel around okay? Cold hands." She warned as she lightly laid one hand on top of the other on the boy's dark stomach. She lightly palpated all four quadrants of the abdomen, starting at the bottom right and working her way counter clockwise to the top right, just under his ribs. She mentally noted that the boy squirmed uncomfortably as she lightly touched his right upper belly before continuing her exam. She threw her stethoscope in her ears, listening to the same four areas. When she was satisfied that everything sounded okay she put her hands back on his stomach. Checking for rebound tenderness in the right lower quadrant and finding none she moved appendicitis lower on her list of differentials and moved pancreatitis up when she deeply palpated his right upper quadrant and he all but jumped up off the bed. "Oh…yep. Yeah I think we may be right Dr. Grey. Mr. and Mrs. Mason, I think that Benji has pancreatitis. We'll confirm with the blood work but what he's showing right now is classic signs. Are you familiar with pancreatitis?" When the parents shook their heads, she turned to Lexie. "Dr. Grey, can you please explain to Mr. and Mrs. Mason what pancreatitis is?"

"Certainly." The resident stepped forward, speaking to both the parents and the young patient. "The pancreas is the organ that produces a lot of your digestive juices which break up the food that you eat. It also makes insulin and glucagon which are important for maintaining blood sugar. Sometimes it gets inflamed and angry, usually in kids, this follows a virus. Benji, have you been sick with a cold or something like that in the last week?"

"I had the chicken pox." He answered quietly. "I had to miss my swim meet."

"Aw, I'm sorry buddy." Lexie rubbed his shoulder sympathetically as Arizona addressed the parents.

"If it is his pancreas, the chicken pox is probably what did it. For some reason in kids, viruses will bring on acute episodes of inflammation. Depending on what the blood work shows, we will do an abdominal CT to confirm and get him started with the right treatment. Don't worry though. We're going to take good care of him. Let me just finish my exam and then we will get the ball rolling." She checked his eyes and looked in his mouth and ears before listening to his chest and palpating his shoulder joints. "You let me know if anything else hurts okay?" She told her little patient. She moved down, lifting his left leg, checking the range of motion of his hip. She felt bad when she saw him squirm. "I know its uncomfortable little guy. I promise, I'm almost done." She lifted his right leg to repeat the motion and the boy screamed in pain as she flexed his hip and knee, the movement irritating his tender abdomen. Kicking his leg out, his foot caught the pediatric surgeon square in the chest, sending her stumbling backwards into the table that was by the foot of the bed.

As the backs of Arizona's thighs forcefully collided with the table everyone heard a loud _crack_ before the surgeon pushed herself back upright. The Masons and Lexie were on her in a second. "Dr. Robbins are you alright?" Mr. Mason asked as his wife looked on in concern and Benji started to cry, upset that he had hurt the nice doctor.

Arizona quickly nodded her head before making eye contact with Benji. "Hey, Benji, look I'm okay. That scary noise, that was the table, not me. It's alright. Okay?" She smiled at him as he wiped at his face to dry his tears. "See?" She straightened her lab coat and gave him a wink. "It's alright. I'm sorry that I hurt your tummy. But Dr. Grey and I are going to make you all better okay. Why don't you take a little nap and when you wake up your belly won't hurt so much." She saw him nod as she quietly addressed her resident, "Get him 1.5 mgs of morphine before you draw his labs." As Lexie nodded her understanding and left the room, Arizona turned to address the parents once more. "We're going to give him something for pain okay? Dr. Grey will be back in just a few minutes and I'll come see you again when we know more." She shook their hands and excused herself from the room.

The blonde had made it almost to the back nurses' station when she felt the suction release from the socket of her prosthetic limb. Stopping dead in her tracks she quickly grabbed at the socket to keep it in place. As she shifted all her weight to her right leg she wondered why it had spontaneously come lose. Her question was quickly answered as she felt a crack in the plastic of the back of the socket. Apparently that loud crack hadn't been the table. It had been her new prosthetic breaking as she collided with the table.

Cursing under her breath, she looked around as she held the limb on. She saw a chair from the nurses desk a few steps to her right. Grasping the prosthetic with both hands, she awkwardly limped to the chair, barely raising her plastic foot off the floor. Falling rather ungracefully into the seat she looked around again to make sure no one had seen her ungainly movements. Satisfied that they hadn't, she used her sound leg to slide the chair back to the desk, slipping the prosthetic out of the bottom of her pant leg once her legs were hidden from view. Peeking around to make sure she was still alone, she folded up her empty pant leg before evaluating the socket of her prosthetic. Sure enough, there was a vertical crack running through it. She quickly shoved the leg under the desk as a nurse approached and pulled herself closer to the computer so that there was no space between the table and her stomach. She shot off a quick 911 text to Teddy explaining what happened and asking her to stealthily retrieve her old leg from the PT department and switch it out for the now broken one.

A text message came back immediately:

_Seriously!? Okay, I'm on my way. Gonna go to PT first. You owe me drinks after this covert mission. –TA_

"Ha-ha." Arizona laughed sarcastically at her phone before responding and shoving the device in her pocket.

"What's so amusing Dr. Robbins?" Angela, the nurse questioned, smiling at the surgeon.

"Dr. Altman thinks she's a comedian." Arizona rolled her eyes. Angela was one of her favorite nurses but the blonde still wasn't ready for her to find out about the leg. "Angela, do you mind helping Dr. Grey with the labs in 2319. Little boy named Benji, possible pancreatitis."

"Sure! Right away." The nurse answered cheerfully before walking back down the hall leaving the surgeon alone again at the desk.

Arizona continued to look around nervously, clicking her finger nails on the desk as she waited for Teddy. She sat up hopefully when the door at the end of the hall opened but groaned internally when it was Drs. Stark and Karev who entered.

"Ah, Dr. Robbins, just the person I was looking for." The disgruntled department head walked up to the seated blonde.

"What can I do for you Dr. Stark?" She asked, praying that her boss would leave before Teddy showed up with a prosthetic leg.

"I need you to come with me to 2344. The little girl in there needs a bowel resection which I was going to do this morning. Unfortunately it seems the patient had a snack this morning despite the fact that she was supposed to be NPO since midnight. Apparently Dr. Karev did not explain this very well to the parents." He glared over his shoulder at the resident who looked annoyed as usual.

Arizona sighed, "So depending on what time she ate, just operate 8 hours later."

"You think I don't know that Dr. Robbins?" He asked sarcastically. "Thank you for your valuable insight. She ate at 10:00, she can be operated on at 6:00. It is now 3:00pm and my shift ended over an hour ago. As I am supposed to be on a plane to the TED conference in…" He looked at his watch, "Two hours, I will not be operating on the patient. So if you'll come with me, I need to introduce the parents to the surgeon who _will_ be operating on their daughter.

_Well shit…_ was the first thought that ran through the blonde's head. She stalled for a moment as the doors to the ward flew open again and Teddy came in, holding the prosthetic wrapped in a blanket. When she saw the crowd at the nurses' station she quickly shoved it behind her, leaning awkwardly against the wall as the three surgeons looked at her. She made eye contact with Arizona who quickly shook her head, indicating for her to stay away.

Dr. Stark's attention turned back to the seated blonde as she straightened up in her seat. "Well Dr. Robbins, I'm waiting."

Arizona put her hands on the computer keyboard and looked up at him again. "Dr. Stark, I'm in the middle of something at the moment. I'll introduce myself to the parents shortly. But you should probably go so you don't miss your flight."

Stark peered over the desk, catching a glimpse of the computer screen, seeing only the desktop he focused back on the other peds attending. "Dr. Robbins, as fascinating as the Seattle Grace Mercy West logo is, I am sure you can spare a few minutes of your valuable time to…I don't know…do your job?" He said sarcastically.

"Uh…" Arizona looked desperately at Teddy who was still leaning on the blanket wrapped prosthetic. She then groaned internally as several nurses chose that time to come back from their break, joining the assembled surgeons.

The cardio surgeon raised her hands and shrugged mouthing, _'What do you want me to do?'_

Before Arizona could think of anything, Dr. Stark was hounding her again. "Dr. Robbins, I'm waiting. Tick Tock. Are you seriously avoiding what you are paid to do? Which is surgery on tiny humans?" He mocked her nickname for children. "Or are you just too lazy to stand up and come with me right now."

Arizona could feel her blood begin to boil as he taunted her and insulted her character. The nurses and Karev looked on uncomfortably as the two pediatric attendings argued.

"Well?" He asked expectantly, rapping his fingers on the counter as he waited for an answer.

Having taken enough of his abuse, Arizona grabbed the desk, pushing herself up right, her sudden movement causing the chair to topple onto the floor. She took a small hop backwards, her folded pant leg coming into view as she placed a hand on the desk to keep herself balanced on her remaining foot. "Fine!" She shouted before lowering her voice to a more appropriate volume as several sets of eyes were drawn to her amputated appendage. "You want me to come now Dr. Stark? Then how bout you find me a pair of crutches and I'll gladly hop along!"

* * *

**Well...that was a comedy of errors of sort. The cat's out of the bag now.**

**What should happen next? As always, suggestions are welcome!**

**Please review!**

**Updated to add: do you guys know that Whose Line is it Anyway has new episodes? Seriously!? Life. Made.**


	23. AN: Plea for ideas and Timeline

**Sorry! ****Not a new chapter****. Though I did post a new one (long one) last night. So check that out if you haven't seen it.**

**I'm trying to increase the numbers of characters in each chapter. Though every character has been mentioned at least once (during Callie's trauma), they haven't really been included and I want to challenge myself by writing them. Because it isn't terribly accurate for Callie and Arizona to interact with the same few people day after day. (PS there will be a lot more Callie soon)**

**Lexie was in the last chapter.**

**Alex and possibly the chief will be in the next chapter (I'm only halfway through writing it).**

**I have a lot of the main plot...kinda but I need things to tie stuff together. And I know most people have another favorite character that is not Arizona or Callie. So if there's something you want to see, please let me know.**

**Secondly, I am putting this in here for myself and for anyone like me who wants to follow the pacing of the story since time seems to be an abstract concept in Grey land.**

**Arizona left Callie in November. Her accident and Callie getting pregnant happened in early December.**

**Callie gave birth to Sofia at 6.5 Months so late June when the accident happened and it is now about 3 or so weeks later in the middle of July. Remember that Stark's contract will run out in November and that will also mark a year since C & A broke up.**

**I should have included the time at the beginning of each part and I will do that from now on.**

**So enough with the A/N for now. If you didn't see it (and it seems like a lot of people didn't because the site is being weird-at least for me) I posted a chapter last night (so there were two chapters posted yesterday). Let me know your ideas and I should have a new chapter for you soon.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	24. Part V: Ch 4

**Thank you all for your reviews and suggestions. General consensus is to keep characters limited and include a visit from Addison. I think that is something that I can do.**

**Please enjoy the next chapter, as always, any mistakes are mine.**

**This is a direct continuation of the scene at the end of the last chapter.**

**Thanks to Duvetsnuggler for the Alex thing!**

* * *

The silence in the peds ward was deafening as all eyes stared at the angry blonde. Arizona still stood against the desk, glaring at Dr. Stark until Teddy walked over and interrupted the face off. She picked up the fallen chair and put it behind Arizona before turning to the department head. "Dr. Stark if you'll excuse us. Dr. Robbins will join you shortly." She glared at him as she felt Arizona sit down beside her.

The balding man's face was bright red has he looked furiously at the seated blonde. "No. Dr. Robbins will not be joining me shortly. I will not be bringing a one-legged surgeon to meet a pair of worried parents. She's not going to instill a lot of confidence in them when she can barely stand to operate on their daughter. I'm calling Peterson at Seattle Pres."

Arizona glared angrily up at him but it was Karev who spoke first. "She's got a prosthetic leg you…"

"Alex!" The blonde cut him off before he could call his boss any name that could get him in trouble. She saw Teddy unwrapping the blanket from the prosthetic that she had been carrying so that Stark could see.

The unpleasant man rounded on the young resident. "So you knew about this too? You didn't think that you should tell me Dr. Robbins was putting patient's lives in danger by operating on them when she clearly doesn't have the balance that a surgeon needs?"

The three other surgeons gawked at him, wondering how he could be coming to these asinine conclusions. Karev once again spoke up to defend his mentor, "No, I didn't. Which should tell you a lot about Dr. Robbins' balance as a surgeon. Respectfully sir," his voice didn't sound respectful at all, "She's been back for almost three months and I didn't notice anything, nor did you. And clearly neither did they." He gestured to the nurses who still stood awkwardly to the side, watching the uncomfortable scene before scampering off as attention was drawn to them. "There's nothing wrong with her. So don't you dare treat her like there is!"

Both blonde surgeons looked at Alex in surprise while Stark's face got even redder as the junior surgeon put him in his place. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out as he threw his hands up in anger and stormed out of the room.

There was a couple seconds of shocked silence before the seated woman looked up at her student. "Thank you." Arizona said sincerely as Alex turned to look at her.

He gave her a nonchalant shrug. "I've wanted to yell at that asshole since he got here. Thanks for providing me with the opportunity."

Arizona chuckled slightly at the resident's words before looking up at Teddy. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now huh?" She chewed her lip nervously

"Yeah well…" The cardio surgeon bent over and retrieved the broken leg from under the desk. "Karev, will you go find a pair of crutches?" She addressed the man who was still standing nearby.

He shrugged a shoulder again before turning to walk off. "Yeah, sure." He called over his shoulder before walking into the hall.

Once the two friends were alone, Teddy crouched down in front of Arizona, taking her hand and resting her other hand on the seated blonde's knee. "Are you alright?" She asked, her voice filled with concern for her friend.

Arizona nodded slowly. "Yeah…yeah. I think so. I mean this was bound to happen eventually right?" She sighed, looking up to avoid Teddy's eyes as she replayed Stark's words in her head. "This is what I was afraid of though. Someone saying that I can't do my job because of my leg. Saying that being a cripple makes me a danger to patients. I just…" She couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes. "Crap." She brought her free hand up, wiping them away before looking back down at her friend, her bright blue eyes glistening even as she kept a stiff upper lip. "I hate him but I'm scared that he's right."

"Hey. Hey. Sweetie, don't do that." Teddy squeezed her hand. "Stark's a tool. Little pompous balding sack of hot air." The cardio surgeon smiled when that earned a small laugh from the other blonde. "You are an amazing surgeon. And you know what? Sourpuss is just threatened by you. You both know that you should be the department head and that his time here is limited since you came back. So don't you pay him any attention. Besides, I mean, look at how Karev reacted? Nobody else is making a big deal out of this. Which is a good thing. Right?"

Arizona nodded, giving a small laugh again. "Karev will probably buy me a stuffed parrot and an eye patch and start telling patients that their doctor is a pirate."

Both blondes chuckled until another voice joined the conversation. "I had considered that." Alex was back with the requested pair of crutches. Arizona smiled up at him as she pushed herself back out of her chair, Karev's strong hand on her elbow, helping her balance before he passed her the crutches. "There's an empty room right over there. You can go put your leg back on." He kept a steadying hand by her until she was balanced.

Arizona once again gave him a smile. "Thank you Alex."

He waved her off. "Yeah yeah. Don't make a big deal about it or anything." He pursed his lips, trying to suppress a smile before walking off leaving the two blondes.

Teddy laughed as she walked beside Arizona to the empty room, both prosthetic legs in her arms. "You've made Karev almost human."

"He's a good guy Teddy." She dropped her pants and sat on the bed, reaching for her old prosthetic. She tried several times to attach the fake limb before looking up at her friend with a worried expression.

"It won't go on?" Teddy quickly laid her hands on Arizona's leg, evaluating the residual limb. "You're swollen. Probably trauma from breaking the socket in the first place." She left her friend's side and rummaged around in the draws of the room before coming back with a roll of gauze. She started to tightly wrap her friend's leg.

"Well that's just great." Arizona muttered, putting her pants back on when Teddy was finished. She rolled up the empty pant leg, securing it beneath her stump before looking back up at the cardio surgeon. "Guess I'm finishing my shift on crutches." She sighed. "I'm sure everyone in the hospital already knows by now anyways. It's amazing how fast the nurses spread gossip."

Teddy nodded her head in agreement, "Though let's be honest, the residents and the attendings really are no better." She helped the blonde off the table, handing her the crutches before picking up the prosthetic legs.

The two friends exited the room and started to walk out of the peds ward. Arizona kept her head held high even as she heard whispers and felt the stares burning at her back. "It's probably good that he called Peterson at Pres though. Cause I can't operate today if I don't have a functioning prosthetic." Arizona brought up Stark's earlier conversation as they made their way onto the skywalk, heading towards the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation wing.

"Well hopefully David can get this fixed as quickly as possible. He enjoyed giving me a hard time when I came to pick it up. I mean how on earth did you manage to do this Arizona?" The cardio surgeon couldn't resist teasing her friend who seemed to be in good spirits in regards to her current situation.

"My poor little boy upstairs with possible pancreatitis didn't like when I checked his hips. He kicked me in the chest and I fell on the table."

"Ooh. Ouch." The taller blonde made a face.

"Yeah, well, it's a hazard of peds. Children are liquid and also deceptively strong. I just hope the little guy is okay. He looked miserable. Little Grey is running tests now so we'll find out soon." She paused for a second before looking at her friend with a teasing smile. "So David huh? Not Dr. Moore?"

Teddy blushed as she pushed the button for the elevator. "He's kind of cute." The pair entered the elevator once it arrived and selected the floor for PT.

"Teddy." Arizona chuckled, "He's married."

"Hey it doesn't mean I can't look…or dream. I'm pathetic, and horny, and haven't had sex in months."

"Tell me about it."

"Yeah, well we can be pathetic together at Joe's tonight. I'm off at 1:00. You?"

"2:00 am so I'll meet you there." They exited the elevator and entered the rehab gym. After dropping off the prosthetics with Dr. Moore with only minimal teasing, they headed back into the hallway to resume their conversation. Arizona had barely opened her mouth to speak when a blaring pager cut her off. Both women reflexively checked their hips and Arizona groaned. "It's me. I'm being paged to the Chief's office." She felt her heart start to speed up as she got nervous.

"What does the Chief want?" Teddy asked curiously.

"I don't know. Do you think Stark said something? About me being a danger to patients?" Arizona's good mood and nonchalance to the people around her was quickly evaporating.

"I don't know." Teddy repeated as she started to walk with her towards Webber's office, wrestling with similar concerns. "If he did, just explain yourself. Webber will listen. He's a reasonable guy and Arizona, you're the best in your field so don't worry. After all, it could be nothing."

They reentered the skywalk, Arizona chewing her lip nervously as she quickly crutched alongside the taller blonde. "Yeah, maybe it's about a patient." She said, trying to make herself believe that as they moved towards the Chief of Surgery's office. The pair paused when they were close enough to see Webber sitting at his desk with Stark standing across from him. Arizona groaned as she turned towards Teddy.

Teddy gathered her in an awkward hug, wrapping her arms around the crutches. "It'll be fine Arizona." She whispered as she felt the anxiety radiating off her friend. They ended their embrace as Stark exited the office, fixing both blondes with a nasty grin before walking off.

"Dr. Robbins?" Webber's deep voice called from his office as Arizona fixed her friend with another scared glance before turning to head through the door.

Teddy reached out and gave her arm one more reassuring squeeze, "I'll be right here." She saw her friend nod before heading into the office, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Arizona balanced on her crutches, leaning against the closed office door as she looked up to meet Webber's stare. "Chief, you paged me?" She cringed at the quiver in her voice that was ever present when she encountered figures of authority.

Richard had been told by Stark that Arizona was missing a leg, but seeing it in person still came as a shock to the seasoned surgeon. "Robbins, sit down." He gestured to the chair in front of his desk, rubbing a tired hand over his face as she complied.

Once she was seated, she bent at the waist to lay the crutches on the floor before looking back up at her boss, her right leg starting to bounce nervously. "Chief I…"

He held up a hand to stop her. "Arizona, why didn't you tell us about this? This is a serious matter and you should have disclosed it when I hired you back. You know that you are required to report any physical condition that could interfere with your ability to do your job." His face was stern as he addressed the pediatric surgeon.

"It hasn't though." Arizona said, a panicky edge to her voice as she became concerned about her job security. She mentally cursed herself as her eyes started to water. She couldn't believe that this was happening.

"It hasn't until today." He corrected.

Arizona swallowed audibly, trembling in her chair as she started to feel sick to her stomach. "Are you firing me Chief?" Her question came out as a whisper as she dropped her eyes to his desk, unable to look at him.

Webber's eyebrows shot up, his eyes opening wide in surprise as he realized what conclusion the young woman had jumped to. "No. God no." His voice softened as her eyes shot back up to his and he saw a single tear trickling down her right cheek. Leaning forward he offered the blonde a tissue as she continued to look at him in confusion. "Robbins, no. First of all that would be illegal. But secondly, and more importantly, I know your ability as a surgeon and you're the best anyone has seen in a long time. I'm reprimanding you because I'm obligated to as your boss. That's all there is to it. You're not a danger to patients and unless you operate with your feet I am confident this doesn't affect your ability as a surgeon." He smiled as the blonde gave a small laugh through her tears, drying her face with the offered Kleenex. Once she looked back up at him he continued. "I'm not going to lie to you though. Dr. Stark is furious and requested that you be fired or at least suspended. But I won't be doing that either. I think he just wants you out of the way so that he can continue to run the department."

Arizona sat quietly in her chair, still bouncing her leg as she processed everything the Chief was telling her. "So I still have a job?" She questioned tentatively .

"Of course you do." He got up and walked around the desk, leaning back on it as he appraised her. "And in three months you'll also have your department back." He couldn't help but smile as he saw a small smile spread on the blonde's face. "I'm sorry this happened to you Robbins. And the hospital will work with you in any way you need okay?"

Arizona grabbed her crutches and stood as Richard reflexively placed a hand on her elbow for support. She placed the crutches under her arms and reached out to shake his hand. "Thank you Chief."

He nodded, giving her a firm handshake, "Gossip spreads like wildfire Arizona. Don't let it affect you. Chin up and be proud of what you've survived."

The blonde couldn't help it as her smile widened. She was touched by his show of support and felt her confidence slowly returning. "Thank you Chief. My prosthetic will be repaired soon and I have no scheduled surgeries today so I'll be back in the OR tomorrow."

"Okay Robbins. I'm counting on it." He opened the door to his office, affixing her with a smile as she exited. He heard her relieved sigh and watched her proudly as she made her way to Dr. Altman, her head held high.

* * *

**D'awww. Arizona. **

**Sorry, it makes me happy when the Chief makes people feel better about themselves. Like he did in that episode that this story is coincidentally named after when they did the lecture series and he praised Bailey. (Y'all know the scene I'm taking about).**

**Please let me know what you think. Comments and constructive ideas (?- not the word I'm going for, but you know what I mean) make me excited to write more!**


	25. Part V: Ch 5

**Hey everybody, thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. **

**I wanted to bring back the happy Arizona because she's had a couple of rough chapters recently So this chapter is just some lighthearted fun before we get back to some pretty sweet medicine in the next chapter (I think...Haven't written it yet).**

**As always, Grey's Anatomy does not belong to me. Neither does McDonalds (you'll see). And all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!**

* * *

Arizona gracefully swung into the NICU on her crutches, accepting the pink gown from her nurse with a nod of thanks. She leaned the crutches against the wall as she donned the garment and looked over at the incubator that housed Callie and Mark's daughter. She was surprised when she noticed not only the father, who she'd expected, but another surgeon to be present. Retrieving her crutches, she made her way over to them, both heads shooting up when they heard the rhythmic click of her approach. "Dr. Montgomery, how are you?" She greeted pleasantly, placing herself beside Addison before nodding her head at Mark in acknowledgement.

The redheaded obstetrician looked at her in surprise, honestly not expecting to see her best friend's ex-girlfriend show up in the NICU, on crutches no less. "I'm well. Thank you." She leaned back and saw, hidden behind the pink gown, the reason why the peds surgeon was using a walking aid. She shot a surprised look at Mark as Arizona lifted the hood of the incubator and smiled down at her tiny patient.

"Hi Cutie Pie. You're getting so big. Yes you are." The blonde used a finger to stroke Sofia's tiny cheek before getting to work.

The plastic surgeon's eyebrows shot up as he heard Arizona's interaction with his daughter, "Robbins, where is your prosthetic?" Mark asked as the peds surgeon made several adjustments to the machines surrounding the infant.

"It needed a repair." She said simply. She put in her stethoscope and listened to little Sofia's chest as Addison stood in confusion, apparently she was the only one surprised to find out that the peds surgeon only had one leg.

Satisfied that all was well, Arizona gave Sofia's belly a little tickle before shutting the hood and slinging her stethoscope back around her neck. As she grabbed the hand grips of her crutches, she looked back up at the other two doctors and provided more of an explanation. "A patient kicked me, I fell, it broke and then Stark found out, which means everyone will know soon anyways. Oh and then he tried to get me fired."

"What?" Both Addison and Mark asked in surprise. "He can't do that." Addison continued.

Arizona simply shrugged her shoulders. "I'm still working aren't I? Apparently the Chief dislikes Stark just as much as I do. Anyways, I have more patients to see. She looks great by the way Mark." The blonde nodded down to Sofia who was sleeping peacefully. "You know we usually keep preemies until their original due date, but we may not have to with her. We'll play it by ear and see how Callie's recovery comes along. I'll be back to check on this little one tonight." She backed away slightly from the incubator and tore off her pink gown. "It was a pleasure as always Dr. Montgomery." She nodded her head before turning and exiting the NICU.

Once the clicking of crutches faded down the hallway, Addison looked from where the blonde had exited back to Mark. "What on earth happened to her?"

Mark sighed as he reached a hand into the incubator to stroke the sleeping baby's cheek. "It's a long story. But she is now helping Callie with PT and she saved Sofia's life…So despite our past differences, and the fact that she probably…well definitely still hates me, I owe Arizona Robbins a huge debt of gratitude."

Addison nodded her understanding, looking down at Sofia once more with a grin before giving Mark a firm pat on the shoulder. "Okay so yeah, I'm still not used to you playing this mushy father who is excited about his kid's diapers. So you have fun with that. She's amazing by the way. And I'm going to go see Callie now." The redhead gave her friend an amused smile before turning in her designer heels and heading out the door.

* * *

"The things you do to get me to visit." A familiar voice sounded from the doorway of Callie's hospital room.

The brunette on the bed looked up from her book, a huge grin spreading on her face. "Addy!"

Addison matched her smile and pushed herself off the doorjamb, kissing Callie's forehead before occupying the chair by her bed. "How are you feeling Sweetie?"

"I'm doing better now. I still get tired really quickly but I should only be here a few more weeks. And Sofia's good too. Have you seen my daughter? She is delicious." The brunette reached for her phone to show off pictures of her new child.

Addison laughed, taking the proffered phone and looking at the picture before handing it back to Callie. "I actually just went and saw her in the NICU. I was on my way to see you first but Mark intercepted me. She's beautiful Callie. And Dr. Robbins said she's doing great."

Despite her fatigue, the woman in the bed perked up at the mention of the blonde. "Arizona was there?"

"Yes. Do you know she calls your daughter Cutie Pie?" Addison studied her friend closely. The last she'd heard, she was supposed to be angry at the pediatric surgeon out of loyalty to the brunette. But now, after what Mark had said in the NICU and the way Callie was acting, she wondered what was going on between the pair.

Callie couldn't help the smile that spread on her face at the thought of Sofia and Arizona interacting. "Well Sofia _is_ the most adorable baby in the world." The new mom said proudly.

The redhead chuckled and nodded her agreement. She continued to study Callie for another moment before speaking, "So what is going on between you and the peds surgeon anyways? Last I heard it was all 'She left me. I hate her. And now she's back like nothing happened'," Addison repeated statements Callie had made during a phone call several months ago.

Callie looked ashamed. "I may have been a little harsh. A lot did actually happen to her. And well…"

"I know. I saw." Addison squeezed her friend's hand. "Apparently her department head found out about her leg and tried to get her fired."

"What!" Callie sat straight up, wincing as the sudden movement strained her still healing incisions. "Addison what…"

"Careful." The neonatal surgeon guided her friend back down to the bed. "Robbins is fine. In surprisingly good spirits actually." She wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "I'd be pissed if I were her, but she came to check on Sofia and then left to check on her other patients like nothing had happened." She gave a comforting smile as Callie relaxed, looking even more exhausted than she had a few minutes prior. "You still love the peds surgeon don't you?"

Callie rubbed her eyes and sighed. "It's complicated. Especially now with the baby and Mark. We've both hurt each other pretty badly so right now we're working on becoming friends again." She settled back in her pillows, looking up at her old friend.

Addison rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. "If it is meant to be, it will work out." She saw the brunette yawn. "Why don't you get some rest. I'm going to go stare at your daughter some more. I'll be here when you wake up."

"You'll bring pictures?" Callie asked sleepily, smiling as Addison nodded. "Good. And then you can tell me all about California okay?"

"Okay Sweetheart. I look forward to it." The redhead stood and placed a kiss on Callie's head as the exhausted woman's eyes slipped closed and she fell asleep.

* * *

"Dr. Grey, what do you have for me?" Arizona had been paged to the image room by her resident. She assumed it was about Benji Mason's scans when she saw CT images on the light boxes that lined the room.

Lexie turned as the older woman entered the room. She'd heard the gossip that had made its way around the hospital but that didn't lessen the surprise of seeing the blonde sans a leg. Quickly standing from the computer, she offered her seat to the attending surgeon. "Do you need a chair Dr. Robbins?"

Arizona waved her off as she made her way to the light box. "I'm good. Thank you. Are these Benji's scans?" She ran her eyes over the images.

Lexie was by her side in an instant with the lab work and the patient chart. "Yes. His Lipase was positive, so you were right about the pancreatitis. But there's something else." She led the surgeon over to the light boxes that showed coronal sections of the abdomen. "Radiology report came back with radiopaque findings in both the head and uncinate process of the pancreas."

The pediatric surgeon zeroed in on the structure in question and immediately recognized the reported pathology. She had that familiar twisting feeling in her stomach that she got whenever there was bad news. "Oh God…" She murmured. "We're going to have to take out half of this kid's pancreas."

Lexie sighed, understanding the implications of what Arizona was saying. She stepped closer to the image, studying the tumors. "Would you be able to leave enough of the endocrine tissue to keep the kid from becoming a diabetic?"

Arizona shook her head sadly. "Look at how the tumors spider web out. We'll do a biopsy but even if they're benign we have to take out the whole section. I'll tell the parents." She sighed. "This is the part of the job that I really hate." She spoke softly to herself before addressing her resident. "Lexie, can you get us on the OR schedule for tomorrow morning. As early as possible?"

"Will you be able to operate by then Dr. Robbins."

The blonde looked at her curiously before looking down and remembering why she was on crutches. "Right…Better make it after 8:00 am. Do Benji's pre-op labs and make sure he's NPO after midnight." She started to exit the room before turning back to face the brunette. "Thanks Lex."

* * *

Callie was woken around 1:00 in the morning by an annoying clicking noise. She groaned as she opened her eyes, but immediately felt less irritated when she saw a familiar blonde standing in the doorway. The clicks continued as Arizona approached her, turning on the bedside lamp. The now wide-awake brunette registered the crutches that supported the blonde and she remembered what Addison had filled her in on when she had come back for dinner. "You look like you had a rough day." She murmured gently as Arizona sat in the chair by the head of the bed.

"Ugh. You don't know the half of it." She propped the crutches against the wall before pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. "Give me one second Callie." She hit a number on speed dial and held the phone to her ear as she deposited a bag of fast food on the nightstand. There was a click when the other person picked up. "Hey Teddy? Yeah, I'm not going to make it out tonight. Sorry. Yeah. _Pause_. Yeah. I know. I have to operate at 9:00 am. _Pause._ Have fun. _Pause_. Oh a guy huh?"

Callie listened to the half of the conversation she could hear, unable to stop her grin as she heard the blonde gossiping with her best friend.

"Okay, well don't do anything that I wouldn't do. _Pause_. True…Okay maybe do something that I wouldn't do. Bye Teddy." She hung up and slipped the phone back in her pocket before addressing the woman in the bed. "Sorry about that. I was supposed to meet Teddy at Joe's, but…" She shrugged, reaching into the fast food bag and pulling out a box of chicken nuggets.

Callie laughed, "So what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Arizona had come to see her in the middle of the day before and they usually talked during Physical Therapy about mundane stuff but this was Callie's first late night visit from the blonde.

"I'm staying in the hospital overnight so I can operate on this kid. Plus I just checked on Sofia and so I decided to come see you. She's great by the way." Arizona bit off half of a chicken nugget, murmuring contentedly as she chewed.

Callie laughed again. "Arizona, just because you work with children doesn't mean you have to eat their food."

"Hey." The blonde fussed, her mouth full of processed "meat". "Leave me alone," she swallowed, "It's comfort food."

"And what's wrong?" Callie couldn't help but be reminded of the conversations they used to have while dating. She saw the other surgeon pull her sound leg up, resting her heel on the edge of the chair before reaching for another piece of fried food.

"I had to inform some parents that I would be making their kid a diabetic in the morning."

"Oh…" Callie said sympathetically, reaching over and squeezing the blonde's hand before looking at her with a teasing smile. "Yet you're eating McDonalds. Isn't that a little ironic?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Fine, tease me. And you won't get your food." She popped another nugget in her mouth.

Callie's grin widened as she scooted up in the bed. "You brought me food?"

"Mmhmm." Her mouth full, she reached into the bag and handed the brunette a cheeseburger.

"No mustard?"

"No mustard." Arizona confirmed once she'd swallowed.

"You are the best." Callie excitedly opened her sandwich. "How'd you know?"

"I overheard Mark telling Addison that you wanted McDonalds and that he wouldn't bring it to you. And, since it seems to be my goal to be contrary to everything Sloan does or says, I decided I'd bring it to you. Plus, like you said. I had a rough day."

Callie gave her a sympathetic smile after she swallowed a bite of her sandwich. "I appreciate it. Though bringing a patient fast food is not very doctorly of you."

Arizona shrugged, "So?" A bright smile gracing her face as they traded easy banter. "I'm not _your_ doctor. So hush and eat your sandwich."

* * *

**Fluffy Calzona. Well there's some progress in their relationship. A lot of people asked for Addison and for Arizona interacting with Sofia, so I hope this satisfied. **

**Please let me know what you think! And like I said, the next chapter isn't written yet (they never are when I post) so if there's something you want to see let me know!**


	26. Part V: Ch 6

**Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter. I tried to include two more reader requests in this chapter, so I hope it doesn't disappoint (I'll put them at the end as to not give anything away).**

**Enjoy**

* * *

The OR was silent as Arizona and Lexie shared a horrified look before looking back down into the open abdomen of six year old Benji Mason.

"They're everywhere. Where do we even start?" Lexie asked the peds surgeon as Arizona continued to explore the abdomen. She retracted the bowels so the attending could explore the retroperitoneum. They had started operating at 9:00 am. What was supposed to be a simple pancreatic resection, in and out three hour surgery, had become an already five hour exploratory laparotomy. When they had opened up their little patient's abdomen, Lexie had noticed that the liver had an odd scalloped boarder. When she pointed it out to her attending, Arizona had checked it out. When the blonde slid her gloved fingers under the liver's edge, she was alarmed to find not one, but two hard masses in the liver tissue. Once these were discovered, they had widened their incision and converted to the laparotomy. As they explored the abdomen, Arizona had come across yet another growth on the cranial boarder of the patient's right kidney, extending into the adrenal gland.

"I don't know." Arizona replied, pulling her hands out and looking at her resident. "Three more tumors than we expected. How did we not see this? Were the CT slices set too far apart?"

"It had to have been. How could he have so many though? Is it a condition? There was nothing in his medical history." Lexie thought back to the patient chart that she had memorized before rounds yesterday. "I mean his white count was elevated because of the pancreatitis but nowhere near high enough to indicate something like this.

The blonde once again palpated the small hard masses in the liver margin. "Maybe it's something like Cowden Syndrome or Von Hippel-Lindau." Arizona wracked her brain for different tumor syndromes, trying to remember how they presented.

"Or even Multiple Endocrine Neoplasma." The younger Grey sister supplied the name of another tumor condition.

Arizona sighed, chewing her lip behind her surgical mask. She shut her eyes for a moment to think. "MEN, VHL, and Cowden are all dominant conditions. There was nothing in the family history?"

"No, nothing." The resident confirmed.

Arizona thought for another moment before turning to her scrub nurse. "I need a vacuum dressing." When the yellow sheet was handed to her, she passed the other end to Lexie before speaking again. "We'll vacuum pack him and take him up to the PICU. I'll get permission from the parents to do the liver resection and partial nephrectomy in addition to the pancreatic resection. I need you to find Dr. Addison Montgomery and see if she'd be willing to do a consult."

"Oh him?" Lexie secured her side of the dressing. "He's not a neonate though."

Arizona secured her side as well and waited for the dressing to inflate. When it did she looked back at her resident. "Addison did a medical genetics fellowship and maybe she can help us figure out what's going on. If she agrees, I want you to work with her until we go in to operate again. Take him upstairs and I'll meet you shortly." She stepped back from the table, ripping off her gown and heading out to talk to the worried parents.

* * *

Addison tied a surgical mask behind her head as she stepped into the chilly OR. Arizona Robbins and Lexie Grey had already been back at work for three hours, resecting tumors and trying to save as much of each organ as they could for their little patient. "Dr. Robbins, I have Benji's test results." She stepped closer to the table before peaking up at the gallery as she continued to speak to the blonde beside her. "And I hope you don't mind. I brought you an audience." She nodded up to Callie who was seated beside Teddy in her wheelchair in the observation deck.

Arizona looked up, a small smile playing on her lips, hidden by her surgical mask as she saw the brunette watching intently. "Both of you are surgical junkies you know." She called up to the two women.

Callie smiled and Teddy got up to hit the intercom. "Hey, compared to Yang we're pretty normal."

"Apparently Callie was bored and Teddy is hiding from Cristina." Addison supplied as Arizona turned back to her patient and started working again. She peered over her colleague's shoulder to observe the extent of the boy's tumor condition. "It's VHL." She gave the diagnosis declaratively but could not mask the hint of sadness in her voice.

Arizona's upset sigh mimicked that sentiment. "Basin please." She pulled back her clamp with one of the liver tumors and dropped it into the metal container the scrub nurse was holding with a clang. "Send that up to path for a biopsy." She turned to look at Addison after she finished cauterizing the small bleeding vessels that had been severed when she removed the mass. "VHL. That's a nasty condition." She sighed again as Lexie spoke up.

"Dr. Montgomery, I thought Von Hippel-Lindau was a dominant genetic condition. Neither of his parents have it though."

"Surprisingly 20% of cases arise as a spontaneous gene mutation. Dr. Robbins, I've already annotated the chart and we can speak to the parents when you're done."

Arizona nodded as she moved onto the last tumor. "Maybe a half an hour? Lexie," She addressed her resident, "Can you update the parents. Let them know we're done with the liver and the pancreas and just have the kidney left. Don't say anything about the VHL. Scrub back in when you're back."

"Of course." The brunette peeled off her surgical garb and put it in the waste bin before exiting the OR.

As the door swung shut behind her, the familiar sound of a cellphone or pager buzzing on the metal tray near the wall filled the OR. Automatically one of the nurses walked over to check the devices. "Dr. Robbins, you have a call from a Jan Dalton."

Arizona paused what she was doing to look up when she remembered that she was supposed to meet her counselor at Seattle Pres earlier today but with all the complications from Benji's case, she'd forgotten to call and reschedule. "Answer the call please."

The nurse spoke a quiet greeting into the phone, explaining the situation before speaking to the attending surgeon. "Dr. Robbins, she said she missed you today and wanted to know if you'd like to reschedule."

Knowing that the nurse was referring to her counseling appointment, it didn't occur to the blonde to think about how the conversation sounded to everyone else in the room. She didn't see as Addison looked up towards the Latina in the gallery.

Since hearing that it was a woman calling for Arizona, Callie had been hanging on every word.

"Yes." Arizona responded as she continued to work diligently. "Ask her if 6:00 pm tomorrow works."

The nurse relayed the question and answered in the affirmative before hanging up the phone. Within a minute she had resected the last of the renal tumor and was using the cautery when Lexie walked back in the room.

"I delivered the update. How is he doing?" Lexie took the retractor back from the scrub nurse. Just like the blonde, she was oblivious to the staring match between Addison and Callie.

"Good. I got the last one. Will you close for me?" Arizona stepped back and disrobed. "Dr. Montgomery, let me scrub out and I will meet you in the consult room with the parents." She picked up her cellphone and pager as she passed out of the room, hooking them to her hip.

* * *

Up in the gallery, Callie felt her heart racing. _Jan? Who was Jan? And why did she miss the blonde?_ These thoughts swam through her head as she made eye contact with Addison. She heard Arizona agree to reschedule and watched her finish the procedure and walk out as the same thoughts continued to echo through her head while her stomach started to twist with anxiety.

Teddy, who had stood up at the conclusion of the surgery was oblivious to the brunette's internal battle. "Callie, want me to take you back to your room since it seems like Dr. Montgomery is going to be with Arizona?"

Callie nodded distractedly. "Yeah." She whispered, still wondering who this mysterious Jan was. Was Arizona dating again? Had she gotten into another relationship and now Callie was too late? The brunette rode silently back to her room, easing herself up onto the bed with Teddy's help before she couldn't take it any longer. "Teddy, who is Jan?"

Caught off guard, and wondering why the brunette was asking about her friend at Seattle Pres, all Teddy could do was stare at the brunette in confusion. "What?"

Not to be deterred, Callie continued to press. "Jan, the person who called Arizona in surgery. The one who wanted to reschedule. Do you know her?"

"Oh um…" Teddy paused, trying to figure out what to say without breaching Arizona's privacy. "She's just a...mutual friend."

"Oh…" Callie's face fell as Teddy's cryptic answer confirmed in her mind that Arizona was once again in a relationship. Any further questions she could ask were stilled on her lips when Teddy's pager started to blare.

The blonde cardio surgeon checked the box at her hip, before unclipping it and bringing it up to her face to read the message. "Oh come on! Callie I gotta go. Cristina." Was the only explanation she could offer.

The woman in the bed watched as Teddy all but ran from the room. Alone, Callie now slid down under the covers, her heart aching as a quiet sob welled up in her throat. She was too late and now the woman that she'd only recently figured out that she was still in love with was unavailable. They were only friends but that didn't stop Callie from wanting more. More that she now couldn't have. She cried herself to sleep thinking that she'd lost the blonde for good.

* * *

"Callie…" Arizona called from the door of the hospital room, trying to see if the other woman was awake. She wanted to chat like they had the other night, but she didn't want to wake the brunette who still needed all the sleep she could get. "Callie…" She called again softly.

"What." Came the gruff reply.

Arizona giggled, walking into the room and setting two milkshakes down on the nightstand before lowering herself into the chair. She was all too familiar with grumpy Callie waking up. "Hey sleepyhead."

Callie opened her brown eyes to look at the blonde. Somewhere in the span of hours between the surgery and now, her disappointment over learning that Arizona was dating had morphed into anger. As she ran different scenarios through her head, they all morphed into the same thought. Arizona had a girlfriend. The soft look that she initially gave the smiling peds surgeon immediately hardened into a glare. "What are you doing here Arizona."

The smile was wiped off Arizona's face as she registered the Latina's anger. "I was coming to visit…I thought after last night…and since we're friends now…" She stopped, unsure of what to say as a familiar feeling of insecurity washed over her.

"I don't want to be friends with you." She did. That was a lie. But it hurt too much to see the blonde, knowing that there was no hope for something more than friendship.

"I…What?" Arizona looked at her in shock, completely unaware to where this was coming from. She thought they were doing better.

"You heard me, now go. Please."

"Callie, why…" The blonde couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes as she watched all the progress that they had made slip away. She stood, leaning over the bed so she could better watch Callie's face.

The brunette shook her head, the tearful look that the blonde was giving her was breaking her heart. But Callie's heart was already broken and she had to protect whatever she had left. "I just can't do it Arizona. After everything it's just too hard. I hope your new girlfriend can provide you with what you need." Despite her increasing anger as different scenarios ran through her head, she couldn't help but hope that the blonde would at least be supported.

Arizona's confusion increased as she looked down at the fuming brunette. "I don't have a girlfriend." She wiped tears from her blue eye before turning and heading for the door.

"Jan?" Callie questioned bitterly, "I heard the conversation in the OR Arizona. Please don't lie to me."

Stopping dead in her tracks Arizona turned back to face the woman in the bed. "Jan is my therapist Callie. Not my girlfriend. Besides…" She gave a sad laugh, wiping more tears from her eyes, "Who would want to date the one-legged girl anyways?" There was so much self-hate present in the words the blonde uttered as she walked out the door.

Callie sat stunned in the bed, watching as Arizona walked down the hall. _'I do.'_

* * *

**For those who are interested, VHL is the condition that Henry had. And since I didn't include him in the story, I thought I'd at least include his condition. Though Teddy did meet a guy at a bar...who knows, could be Henry.**

**The two requests that were included:**

**1) More Addison, preferably working with Arizona.**

**2) Callie either finds out that Arizona is dating, or wrongly assumes that she is.**

**I hope I accomplished both of these in a way that is satisfactory. It was also important to me to get AZ's body image issues out in the open because if Callie does want to be with her, it's going to be her job to help repair the way Arizona sees herself. So now that Callie knows, she can help out our favorite peds surgeon.**

**This was a very medicine heavy chapter. Though not written yet, the next chapter should be more relationship based as Callie tries to rectify her mistake and help Arizona sort out her messed up head.**

**As always, reviews and ideas are much appreciated. Please let me know what you think.**


	27. Part V: Ch 7

**Pause for a second. I updated less than 12 hours ago so make sure you read about AZ and Lexie in surgery and then Callie thinking that Arizona has a girlfriend.**

**You read it? Good. Moving on. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I'm impressed by the response that it got in such a short time.**

**People asked for more Callie Addison interaction, so hopefully this chapter will not disappoint. As always, any mistakes are mine. Please enjoy.**

**PS: This chapter immediately picks up where the last ended.**

* * *

Callie sat silently, looking down the hall that the blonde had just vacated. She was so angry at herself for jumping to conclusions and she once again cursed her limited mobility because she couldn't jump out of the bed and run after Arizona. Deciding to call her and set the record straight, she picked up her phone, punching in a number she knew by heart. She held her breath as it rang, only releasing the air it when it rang through to her voicemail. "Arizona, it's Calliope," she started after the beep. "I know you're mad at me. I'm mad at me too. I made a terrible mistake and jumped to the wrong conclusion. I am so sorry." Her voice broke as she said 'sorry' and she had to pause for a second to wipe her eyes. "When you said what you said, I wanted to get out of this bed and run after you, but you know I can't do that. So please, call me back. We need to talk." She hung up, still sniffling as Addison walked into the room.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" The redhead immediately sat on the edge of the bed, putting an arm around the teary eyed brunette.

"Arizona doesn't have a girlfriend." Callie spoke quietly, still berating herself for the misunderstanding.

Now it was Addison's turn to be confused. "Wait, I thought that would be a good thing." She shifted slightly on the bed so that she could look Callie in the face. "Why are you sad that she doesn't have a girlfriend?"

At her friend's inquiry, the brunette's tears started to spill onto her cheeks again. "It is a good thing. Except I accused her of having a girlfriend and told her I didn't want to be friends with her because it hurt too much."

"Oh…" Addison bit her lip for a moment, thinking as the other woman cried softly. "Yeah…That was not very smart Callie."

Callie gave a sad laugh, raising a hand to dry her tears. "You think? What do I do now Addy? I feel like I've destroyed all the progress we've made." She swallowed and coughed a little bit, her voice still thick with tears. "I do love her. I really do. But she doesn't even think that anybody possibly could."

Addison moved off the bed and sat in the chair, leaning over so she could take Callie's hand. She squeezed it gently, trying to comfort her distraught friend. "How about you talk to her. Explain the misunderstanding?" She rested her other elbow on the bed, propping her head up on her hand.

"I left a message but since I can't exactly walk anywhere I have to wait for her to come to me." Callie paused for a second before her eyes flicked to the wheelchair in the corner of the room and she got an idea. "Addy, could you take me up to Arizona's office?"

"Um…" The neonatal surgeon pinched the bridge of her nose, considering what would be the best for her friend in the given situation. "I…" She sighed, knowing the brunette wouldn't like her answer. "I don't think that's a good idea Callie. If you called and she didn't pick up then maybe she doesn't want to talk. Let me ask you something, are you sure you want a relationship with her?"

Callie nodded emphatically. "More sure than I have been about anything in my life. You don't know her very well Addison, but she's amazing. I find her miraculous. And I was just too blinded with anger when she got back for me to see it. And now I go and open my big mouth and stupidly tell her that I don't want to be her friend anymore. I mean who does that!" Callie rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her face into her hands. She continued to speak, her voice now muffled. "Before the shooting we had broken up because I wanted kids and she didn't. But after we survived…All I wanted was to be with her. Regardless of everything. And she felt the same way. She even agreed that we'd have kids. But then she got that grant and I didn't want to go to Africa but she did and we had a huge fight and then she left. And then Mark happened, and the pregnancy, and then she was just back." She ran her hands through her hair as she tried to process all of the emotions that coursed through her. "And even when I was mad at her. Even when I hated her. I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame." She paused for a second before speaking again. "Do you believe in soul mates Addison?" She turned her head so that she could face her friend.

Addison sat back in her chair, thinking carefully before she answered. "I think I do…or at least I think that everyone has someone close enough to be the perfect partner for them. It was that way for me and Derek but I didn't fight hard enough for him and in the end I lost him. Just because someone is a perfect match, doesn't mean it is guaranteed to work…that's what I think. I think you have to fight for the relationship even if you are made for each other." She finished quietly, sighing as Callie nodded her head.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "I'm starting to realize that now. But how do I fight for her when I can't even talk to her?"

"Like you said, I don't know her very well. But I would assume that you need to make her see that she's important to you. She needs to know that she is the most important person in your life other than your daughter."

Callie rubbed her eyes again and sat back against the pillows, turning on her side so she could face the redhead. "She is. I mean that's the way I feel about her. But everything is so complicated now. Because now Sofia has to be factored into every decision. Sofia is the most important person in my life. She's my daughter. And…" She paused and ran another tired hand over her face. "I know Arizona knows that. But what if she doesn't want to be involved with a woman with a baby?"

"Callie…" Addison started, waiting to make sure the brunette was paying attention to every word she said. "You need to slow down. If Arizona can't accept Sofia, then your relationship will not work anyways. But that is something that needs to be discussed later. Much later. Right now you need to get back a _friendship_ with her." She paused, considering her words. "Maybe I should have said it like this. Make her see that she is the most important _adult_ in your life. People date with kids all the time Callie. But dating isn't going to happen until you are friends and you won't even be at a place to consider a relationship until she thinks she means something to you. So… other than kids, what was the biggest thing that got in the way of your relationship when you were dating?"

Callie didn't even have to think in order to answer that question. "Mark."

"Ah-ha." Addison chuckled lightly. "I could have guessed that. Mark Sloan has no boundaries and he will take advantage of your friendship. Now don't get me wrong. Mark is a great friend and he will be a wonderful father. But you are going to need to make it very clear to him that he does not come first in your adult life. You need to make it obvious to him and you need to make sure Arizona knows this if you have any shot at developing a new relationship with her."

Callie nodded her head, understanding everything that Addison was saying.

The redhead continued. "Now, that won't be easy. Because Mark is about as dense as they come. Beat him over the head with a brick if you have to. But make it so that he understands that while he is Sofia's father he is not your boyfriend, he is not your husband." She punctuated each part of her list by taping her finger definitively on the bed. "Now, when is your next PT session?"

"In two days." Callie looked at her curiously, confused by the non sequitur. "Why?"

"You said Arizona helps you at those right? So wait to talk to her then. Tell her _everything_ you told me."

Callie groaned and slid down further in her bed. "What makes you think she'll even come?" She asked dejectedly.

"Because I know from talking to you that she is an honorable woman. You've got to give her time to be pissed and process what just happened. But like you said, she's been through physical therapy herself, she knows how much it sucks and I am fairly confident that she will be there. If not, I will stay for your appointment and take you to find her afterwards. Right now however, I think some space will do you both good."

* * *

"She's not coming Addy." Callie looked around the gym. They had been there for ten minutes and there was still no sign of the blonde pediatric surgeon.

Addison sighed, helping her friend up from the wheelchair so that she could start walking with a walker. "Give her time Callie. She's a surgeon. Since when are any of us ever on time?"

The brunette nodded at the truth of her statement before slowly taking her first step with the walker. As she made her way around the room she prayed that her friend was right.

Once she had made it halfway around the room, the door to the gym suddenly swung open. Callie felt her heart skip a beat as she looked towards the hallway, her heart immediately plummeting into her stomach when she saw that the new arrival was just David on his way to his office. She turned back to her task as the door swung shut. But before she heard the click of the door latching in place, the door was once again thrown open and Arizona walked quickly into the room. She was in her lab coat and scrubs, her golden hair up in a messy ponytail. She took off her lab coat and tossed it onto the bench before approaching the slowly moving brunette. "Sorry I'm late." She greeted breathlessly. "Surgery." Was the only explanation she offered. She paused and looked around the room, spying Addison sitting in the corner. "Ah, Dr. Montgomery. Are you helping Callie today? Or should I…?" She trailed off, gesturing between herself and the brunette.

"No no," Addison quickly got to her feet, heading to the door. "Just company. I'll leave you two to work." She dashed from the gym before anyone else could say a word.

As the door swung shut, Arizona turned back to face Callie who had stopped moving and was staring at the blonde, ready to speak. Before she could get a word in edgewise, Arizona held up her hand. "I get to talk first okay?" Though spoken quietly, the words had an angry bite to them. "Keep walking as we talk Callie." Once the brunette started to move again, Arizona came up beside her, matching her pace. "You had absolutely no right to do what you did the other day Calliope. No right. Even if I was dating, which I am not, what business is it of yours to say that me being in a relationship and me being friends with you are two mutually exclusive situations. We both gave up the right to dictate one another's love lives when we broke up. You…"

"I…" Callie interrupted, trying to get a word in as she stopped walking.

Arizona shook her head. "Keep walking." She waited patiently until the brunette started to use her walker again. Once they were moving again, she continued. "I really want to be your friend Calliope. I do. I care so much about you. When I found out about the car accident I almost lost it. Because you are, and will always be one of the most important people in my life. That's why I am helping you now Callie. I want to help you. It's not done out of some misguided remorse or guilt about anything, rather the honest truth that despite everything I still care about you."

"Arizona I…" Callie tried to interject again but was once again stopped.

"I'm not done yet." She continued to walk alongside the brunette as they completed the first lap around the gym. "You need to understand that there are some things in my life that you don't get to have a say in. That you don't get to judge me for. These aren't rules specific to you. They apply to all my friends. Teddy, Bailey, you…" She paused for a second, turning so that blue eyes locked on brown. "Cause if that doesn't work for you, then no Calliope, we can't be friends."

The room was silent for a split second before Callie turned, pushing her walker closer to the blonde so that they were face to face, Arizona just on the other side of the metal bar. "Can I talk now?" She asked, a perfectly manicured eyebrow raised as she waited patiently.

"Um…yeah?" Arizona was caught off guard by how close the brunette now stood.

A large smile spread on Callie's face as she took a step forward so that Arizona was now trapped between the wall and the walker. There was space on either side for the blonde to get out, but Callie was pretty sure she wasn't going anywhere. Especially when she saw bright blue orbs turn as dark as the scrubs the petite woman was wearing. "Everything you just said. Everything. You are completely right. I was out of line and I am so so sorry Arizona." She spoke with such sincerity that she knew the other woman believed her.

"Why'd you do it then?" Arizona asked quietly, unmoving as her back pressed against the wall.

Callie knew what needed to be said. She backed away slightly so that the smaller woman wouldn't feel trapped before she spoke again. "I was jealous. And scared." She explained, continuing when Arizona looked at her with confusion. "I care about you too Arizona. So much so that I couldn't imagine you with anyone else. But…" She paused, looking at the blonde apologetically. "You are right. It is not my place to judge or make ultimatums on your love life. You're right that we both lost that privilege when we broke up." She stopped again, looking at the woman of her affection with a slight pout. "This is hard. You're the one who usually makes the big speeches and the grand gestures."

Arizona gave a small chuckle, still not breaking eye contact with the brunette as she struggled with words.

Finally figuring out what she wanted to say, Callie opened her mouth again. "I am in love with you Arizona Robbins. And I know you don't believe it now. I don't expect you to believe it now. But I just want you to know how I feel. I just want you to know that I am going to do everything in my power to make sure we can be friends again. To rebuild the trust that we lost. I just want you to know that _you_ are one of the most important people in my life."

* * *

**Yay Calzona making progress and AZ calling her Calliope. The ball is back in Arizona's court now. Is she going to believe Callie so that they can work on rebuilding their friendship (first) and their relationship (second). **

**Also, I know Callie has made several speeches on the show, but in my mind AZ stands out as the speech maker in the relationship. Especially after the "Shut up, just shut up. You don't get to tell me that we aren't together. We are _together_. Because I love you and you love me and none of the rest of it matters. We are _together_," speech that she gives at the end of 7x13 (definitely one of my top 5 Calzona scenes). It cracks me up just how much JCap speaks with her hands in that scene. Seriously, go back and watch it!**

**Also this is the end of Part V of the story. Part VI will start with the next chapter.**

**So progress, and relationship, and Addison. Yay. I hope this didn't disappoint. Please let me know what you think and what you want to come next.**


	28. Part VI: Ch 1

**I updated less than 24 hours ago so make sure you saw the last update.**

**Though this is the start of part VI of the story, it picks up right where the last chapter left off.**

**Thanks to Pekegal for the motivation and guidance for this chapter.**

**Please enjoy.**

* * *

Arizona stood in stunned silence for a moment. Still resting with her back against the concrete wall of the rehab gym she stared at Callie who was holding herself up with her walker mere inches in front of her. The blonde's mouth hung open, unsure of what to do or say until almost automatically her hands were raised and placed on Callie's shoulders. She relished in the feel of the warm tan skin under her palms, slowly moving her hands down the taller woman's bare upper arms, her nails dragging lightly down soft skin.

"Callie." She whispered, her voice choked with emotion. She cleared her throat and spoke again, this time more audibly. "Callie thank you. I-I…" She paused, chewing her lip nervously as she felt brown eye watching her supportively. "But I can't just jump back into…something with you. I-I'm not ready." She looked away from the other woman as she struggled to process what had been said already.

"Arizona." Callie said with a smile, ducking her head so she could meet the other woman's eyes. She realized that the other woman had misinterpreted what she had said. "That's not what I'm asking. I want us to be friends. To work on that before _anything_ else happens. And even if nothing else happens, I want to be able to know that we are friends. Because after six months I learned that I can't not have you in my life." She pulled back and walked slowly over to a bench, sitting down. "Come here." She patted the bench beside her, smiling when the blonde followed suit and sat next to her. "What I did about Jan…that was so stupid of me. To throw away everything that we had worked for." She paused, watching the blonde's face that wore an unreadable expression. "Are you okay Arizona?" She asked gently.

Arizona quickly nodded her head, looking up to meet Callie's eyes. "I want us to be friends as well. That's..." She paused again to think, "But um…for that to work, first there's a few things I need to apologize for too."

Callie's brow furrowed as she watched the other woman carefully. She saw Arizona's fingers start to fidget in her lap so she placed one of her hands over the pale, delicate hands of the pediatric surgeon, giving her a comforting squeeze.

Arizona chewed her lip for another moment before looking up at her friend. "I'm the one who left you. And I'm the one who came back expecting that nothing had changed. We were broken up when you slept with Sloan and I shouldn't have treated you the way I did when I found out."

"It's okay." Callie said with a small smile, "It's in the past Arizona."

"I know, I know that. But let me finish okay. I basically did the same thing to you that you did to me when you thought I was dating Jan. You apologized for that so I need to apologize for my mistake as well. And-and-and…" She stuttered, pausing to organize her words. "I know there was no way you could have known about the plane or about the leg. And I shouldn't have punished you the way I did. I am so sorry Callie." She flipped her hand over in her lap so that she could grab the tan one that still rested on hers. Looking up, she gave the other woman a tentative smile which widened when she got one in return.

Callie pulled the smaller woman into a hug, holding her tight as she spoke into her ear. "I forgive you. We've both had an impossible time and it's time to move on." She released her hold on the blonde before smiling at her. "We still have a lot to talk about, but it's good to have you as a friend again Arizona."

Arizona nodded, a bright smile also present on her face. "It is good." They sat in silence for several seconds, enjoying the peace that came from ending their feud before she leapt to her feet, causing Callie to look at her curiously. "Get up lady." She pulled the taller woman to her feet, putting the walker back in front of her. "We've still got a half an hour. You've got some more walking to do so that we can get you out of this hospital and home with your baby."

* * *

The night before Callie's scheduled release from the hospital, she was looking forward to having dinner with Arizona. They hadn't had much chance to talk since their heart to heart a week prior because the blonde was covering both her own and Dr. Stark's services while the later was still out of town at the TED conference.

Despite the fact that the department was more pleasant in Stark's absence, Arizona had been working like a dog to take care of twice the patient load. So when her boss had returned earlier that morning, Arizona had swung by Callie's room and suggested take-out at the end of her shift, which the brunette gladly agreed to.

So now, at 7:00 pm, Callie sat on the edge of her bed, a pizza box and paper plates resting beside her as she waited for her friend to arrive. After twenty minutes and still no sign of the blonde, Callie wondered if perhaps Arizona had forgotten about their plans. She gave her a few more minutes before she reached for her phone. Just as she was punching in Arizona's phone number however, the woman in question walked into the room. She greeted her with a big smile, "Hey, I was worried you'd forgotten about dinner."

Arizona dropped heavily into the bedside chair before looking up at the brunette. It was easy to see that the blonde woman was upset about something. "Sorry Callie." She replied, "I just had something come up."

Callie's brow immediately furrowed in concern. "Is everything alright?"

She started to nod her head but immediately thought better of it and shook her head no. "Stark is an asshole. He just got back and already he is making my life a living hell." She used her finger tips to wipe her bottom lids to keep any tears from spilling over. She brought her right heel up onto her chair so that she could rest her arm on it, before using her other arm to gesture as she talked. "I was supposed to be doing a laparoscopic fundoplication on this two year old boy tomorrow. It's a procedure that I have done dozens of times." She looked up to see Callie nodding, listening intently.

"What happened?"

Arizona continued, "I go in today to talk to the parents, just finalize a few things before the surgery and I find Stark there. Explaining about how I am not the best choice to be their son's surgeon. How there's the chance that _I_ could lose my balance while operating the laparoscope. How _I _could fall while doing the operation and gravely hurt their son. He asked them if I had told them I was missing a leg. He indicated that my disability made me incapable to do their son's operation. He was making me sound like a monster Callie. Like I was purposely trying to put their son's life in danger by not disclosing the fact that I have a frickin' prosthetic leg."

Callie gaped at her, trying to process everything the blonde was telling her. "That is complete bullshit Arizona!" She felt her blood begin to boil. "He can't do that. Did you talk to the Chief?"

Arizona nodded, "I did. And Webber came and talked to the family. Which is why I was late tonight. But the family was adamant that they did not want me doing the surgery because of the 'unforeseen risks'." She made air quotes around the phrase. "That's the term the father used. Unforeseen risks. Like having one leg makes me less competent than Stark to do the surgery. In reality I am more competent than that jackass. Especially when it comes to this procedure. I've done it laparoscopically dozens of times and he still prefers the open method. In fact, I've even done it three times since I've been back. Even more it's a procedure that I do seated on a stool. I always have! Because I use my frickin' right foot to power the God damn camera!"

Callie listened as Arizona got more and more worked up as she continued her rant. Pushing herself off the bed she moved over to sit on the arm of the blonde's chair, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "Hey. Hey." She squeezed her shoulders. "Look at me. Look at me Arizona." She waited until teary blue eyes met hers. "You are fantastic and you are an outstanding surgeon. Everyone here knows that. And Stark…Stark is just jealous of you. He is using your leg as a way to justify his actions, but in reality that's all it is, jealousy. Jealousy that someone who has been a doctor for a quarter of the time he has has already surpassed his skills and is continuing to grow as a physician while he does outdated procedures with methods from the stone age." She smiled when that earned a little laugh from the blonde.

Arizona sighed, wiping her eyes again, "He just makes me so angry Callie. When people say things like that…It just makes me feel like I am less than the surgeon I was before all this happened. Like I'm not good enough anymore." Her tone was sad as she looked away from the brunette.

Callie's heart broke as she listened to the blonde tear herself down. "Arizona, please look at me. You are not less than who you were before. If anything you're a better doctor because you now understand how hard it can be to recover from something unexpected. You are good enough. And if anyone ever tells you otherwise, then they are stupid."

Arizona gave her a small smile, standing and helping Callie up so that they could both move onto the bed so that the brunette didn't have to hold herself up on the edge of the chair. Once they were seated on the edge of the mattress, Arizona turned to face the other woman, her eyes now dry, the small smile still playing at her lips. "You knew exactly what to say to make me feel better. Thank you Callie." She reached for the pizza box and served them both a slice.

Callie gave her another smile as she lifted the slice of pizza to her mouth. Before she took a bite however, she dropped it back onto her plate and angled her body more so that she could face Arizona. "In regards to the surgery you should go tell the parents what you told me. I would recommend you do it without the name calling and cursing…" She paused as Arizona laughed, "Though everything you said was accurate. There may be a slightly more professional way to express that sentiment to the parents."

Arizona swallowed her bite of pizza. "Yeah, I know."

"So I think you should talk to them. Get your procedure back. You're the best that the hospital can offer this kid and they should know that. Plus it has the added benefit of showing up Stark."

"You think I should? Should I go do it now?"

"Yes!" Callie laughed. "Go woman!" She smacked her lightly on the hip, causing the blonde to shriek in surprise and jump off the bed.

Arizona headed for the door, but before getting halfway there, she turned and quickly walked back to the still seated brunette. Throwing her arms around her, she pulled her into a tight hug. After a second she pulled back and gave a shy smile, her eyes twinkling, before wordlessly turning around again and heading out the door.

* * *

**So they are now working on their friendship. Unless I have any other ideas, Part VI is going to be the Calzona Friendship section before Part VII becomes the Calzona Romance section. Of course there will still be a mix of hospital shenanigans and surgeries to keep it Grey's-esque and I feel like Stark provides the perfect foil for Arizona.**

**In terms of timeline (if anyone is interested). Arizona lost her leg 8.5 months ago which means Stark has been department head for 9.5 months (only about 11 weeks to go!). This also means that Sofia and Callie spent 2 months in the hospital and Sofia is actually being released 2 weeks early.**

**This coming part should broach issues like Mark and Sofia and how that factors into Calzona. As they get closer, Callie will also help Arizona with her confidence. Relationship is coming but with a new baby at home for Callie and all the issues AZ still has it's more responsible for them to start as friends and work their way through a cute/playful/and occasionally heart-wrenching courtship that they really deserve.**

**Updated to add: As you have seen, this story is written in parts. For a parts guide/if you are interested to find out what I intend the theme of each part to be, go to my profile page for a complete listing.**

**Hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think.**


	29. Part VI: Ch 2

**Sorry I am a little late with this update. It's been a long day and this was actually pretty hard to write.**

**Thanks for the reviews. **

**This chapter takes place the day after the last chapter and you'll note some similarities to episode 7x19. As always, any mistakes are mine. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Walking into the cafeteria Callie heard the familiar giggle before she saw its owner. The bubbly pediatric surgeon sat at her usual corner table with Teddy, absentmindedly stabbing at her salad, laughing as the cardio surgeon talked animatedly. Arizona was still laughing as Callie walked over and slid into the empty seat beside the her. "What's so funny?" A smile tugged at her lips as she watched the pair interact.

"Oh!" Arizona exclaimed excitedly, having just noticed the brunette's arrival. "Hi Calliope," she grinned. "Teddy is in love with this guy she met at the bar the other night. His name is Henry and he is a baseball player. But because she's been single and pathetic for so long she can't remember how you ask someone on a date." The cheeky smile remained plastered on the blonde's face as she turned back to look at the bushing cardio surgeon.

Making a childish face at the peds surgeon who was slurping her drink noisily through a straw, Teddy retorted, "Oh sure Arizona. Just go air all my dirty laundry for the hospital to see. I'm sure everyone needs to know all the details of my failed love life." The words were spoken with mock frustration and Teddy couldn't help but smile as the other blonde giggled around her straw.

The blonde swallowed her soda as Callie chuckled quietly beside her. "It's not the whole hospital Teddy. It's Callie. So just ask him. Besides, bar hottie Henry has to say yes. You're awesome." She shrugged her shoulders matter-of-factly before sticking her straw back in the corner of her mouth.

Callie, who was keeping an eye on both blonde surgeons, watched the exchange in amusement. She grinned as she observed the smaller woman looking at her friend, her eyebrows raised in anticipation as she chewed on her straw. After a moment the brunette saw Teddy's eyes brighten as she came to a realization. The cardio surgeon leapt to her feet, "You're right Arizona. I'm a badass chick. I can ask him out !" She started to walk away from the table, her face a picture of determination.

The other blonde quickly swallowed the drink in her mouth before shouting after her. "Wait, it's one in the afternoon. You're going to the bar now?"

Teddy spun around to respond. "No. Oh God no." She laughed. "I have surgery. I'll ask him tonight." With a grin she turned back around and walked off, leaving the other two women still seated at the table.

After a moment's silence, filled only by the slurping of soda and the crunching of carrots, Callie spoke up as she grabbed a slice of cucumber off the blonde's plate. "How did your fundoplication go?" Arizona had never gotten back to her after their conversation the night before. "Did you get it back from Stark? What did the parents say when you talked to them?"

"Well…Once I explained the risks of the Stark's open procedure versus my laparoscopic technique, they were _more_ than happy to let me do the surgery. So yeah, I did it this morning. And it was flawless." There was that cute grin again.

Callie could see that the blonde was proud of herself. "Well your surgeries usually are. But still, that shouldn't have happened. Any word from the Chief what's going to happen with Stark? Because he can't keep doing that to you. It's discrimination." Callie seemed to be angrier about the situation than the woman who was actually involved. "Can't Webber do something about it?" She took a bite out of the stolen vegetable as she waited for Arizona to respond.

Arizona shrugged, turning in her seat to better face the brunette. She propped her elbow up on the table and dropped her head into her hand. "I mean, Stark didn't like me before he found out I didn't have a leg. So I don't so much know if it is discrimination so much as it is him just being an ass and a crotchety old man."

The Latina shook her head. "No, he's being an ass if he challenges you in front of patients. He's being an ass if he takes all the good surgeries and leaves you with the appys and bowel resections. It's discrimination as soon as he brings up your leg as a justification for doing what he's doing. You've got a plastic leg. Big deal. That doesn't change the types of surgeries you should or should not get to do." She paused as she saw the blonde's brow furrow and she thought back on what she had just said. "I-I mean it is a big deal. I'm not trying to minimize your loss. But I…"

Arizona raised her head and placed her hand on the stuttering brunette's arm. "Callie. Callie its okay. I know what you're trying to say. And you're right. It's not right. I've gone to the Chief. I've done what I can for right now. I'll continue to fight him if he pulls more stunts like he did last night. But there will always be people like Stark." She paused, studying the woman sitting in front of her. "Besides. You shouldn't be worrying about this right now. You're supposed to be happy. Didn't Bailey discharge you?" Arizona stood to dump her tray, Callie rising in suit.

"She did." Callie shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans to keep from reflexively grabbing the blonde's delicate hand as they walked. "But I don't really want to leave if Sofia can't come home too…"

Arizona led them to the elevator, just outside the cafeteria. After pushing the button she slid her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "Who said Sofia couldn't leave?"

"Her due date wasn't for another two weeks." The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. "I mean that's how long you keep preemies." The pair stepped into the elevator car and Callie watched as Arizona selected the floor for the NICU.

"Sofia can go home."

Callie spun on the spot, turning to face the blonde. "What?"

Arizona smiled and repeated herself. "Sofia can go home. She just needs to pass the infant carrier test. Mark was supposed to bring the carrier by at…" She paused to look at her watch. "Well in a few minutes. We were going to surprise you but I guess since you found me in the cafeteria…" She trailed off as the doors slid open and they stepped out of the elevator.

"Arizona are you serious!" Callie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and pulled the petite woman into a tight hug. Arizona wobbled slightly as Callie released her, pulled off balance by the brunette's quick embrace. Automatically Callie's hands shot out to stabilize the blonde. "Sorry. Sorry." She said sheepishly as Arizona straightened her lab coat, having regained her footing.

The diminutive blonde laughed. "It's alright. You're excited. Come on." She started walking again, gesturing for Callie to follow her.

Walking into the NICU Callie immediately gravitated to her daughter's cradle. Sofia, who now weighed five pounds and ten ounces was the picture of health. She squirmed as Callie picked her up, before settling contentedly in her mother's arms.

Arizona grinned as she watched the two interact. "She looks just like you Calliope." The blonde spoke to the mother before stepping closer and taking one of Sofia's little hands in her own, bending down so her face was in front of the child's. "Don't you. You look just like your mommy pretty girl. A-ha!" She grinned as Sofia made an excited noise at her. "Yes you do!" When she looked up she saw Callie grinning at her. The blonde let go of the baby's tiny hand, stepping black as a blush reddened her cheeks. She cleared her throat. "Sorry."

Callie laughed. "Don't be. It's cute. You're good with kids Arizona and Sofia really seems to like you."

A smile lit up Arizona's face as well. "I…" Anything she was about to say was interrupted as Mark walked into the NICU with the car seat.

"As promised." He announced loudly. "One infant carrier. We're ready to take our baby girl home Robbins! So how does this work?"

Mark's noisy entrance wiped the grin off the blonde's face and she quickly slipped out of buddy mode and into doctor mode as she explained. "She needs to sit in the carrier for one hour with no apnea or bradycardia. If she can do that, then she is ready to go home."

Mark scoffed. "Please, she'll ace it."

The peds surgeon gave him a tight smile before approaching mother and daughter. "May I?" She reached for the infant. When Callie handed the baby to her, Arizona gently laid her back in her cradle. "Hey little one. If you do good you get to go home with your mommy and daddy today." She smiled at the infant before putting her stethoscope in her ears and listening to Sofia's chest and abdomen.

Watching the peds surgeon interact with her daughter, Callie felt her heart flutter. This is how it should have been. Her and Arizona and their child. The brunette sighed as she saw Arizona gently stroke Sofia's dark hair, a goofy smile plastered on her face while she spoke gibberish to the infant. She looked up to see Mark waiting expectantly while Arizona finished her exam. Her frown deepened as she remembered how quickly the joy was sucked out of the blonde when they were interrupted by Mark.

Once she was done, the peds surgeon pulled her stethoscope out of her ears, slinging it back around her neck before addressing the parents. "She sounds great. If she passes the test then you're good to go. Why don't you put her in the carrier and I'll start the clock."

As Mark buckled Sofia into her car seat, Callie's attention was immediately pulled back to her daughter.

Once the baby was situated, Arizona pushed start on the stop watch and looked at the parents who stood in front of her. They happily chattered at their baby who continued to look around curiously as minutes ticked on. After about fifteen minutes, Bailey joined the trio of doctors and after a few more minutes they'd drawn a crowd. As everyone talked happily about the baby, Arizona approached the new mom. Gently laying a hand on a tanned arm, she looked up at the brunette. "Callie?"

"Hmm?" Came the automatic response before Callie turned her head, affixing Arizona with a smile. "Yeah?"

"I've signed the discharge paperwork pending she does well with this. Bailey has it and will give it to you after the hour is up. I need to go up to my office. But I just wanted to say again, congratulations. She is beautiful." Arizona gave the new mom a true smile, squeezing her arm affectionately before letting go and walking to the door. The pair shared one more brief glance and a smile before Arizona gestured with her head towards the baby, causing Callie to look back towards her daughter as the blonde ducked into the hall.

* * *

**Mark's in the way :-( Many of you predicted that would be one of the main problems of this section and you were right.**

**But. Henry. Yay!**

**So please let me know if you have any ideas. Like I've said before. The skeleton of this story is worked out but some of the meat of the story is up for grabs. If there's something you want to see, or some shenanigans for our surgeons to get into, let me know and I'll try to make it happen.**

**Please take a brief moment and let me know what you think!**


	30. Part VI: Ch 3

**Wow, you all blew me away with your response to the last chapter. Thanks so much for your words of encouragement. I definitely like some of the ideas that you provided. **

**I know some people requested it but I don't think I'll be adding an ex-sex buddy for Arizona. We're at the part of the story where we are on a climb towards Calzona (we're still at base camp right now). Also, I don't watch PP so I am not terribly familiar with Amelia or Charlotte and I wasn't even aware that they knew Arizona.**

**This chapter provides a little insight into the home situation and there is some fun!meddling!Teddy and some asshole!Stark (referenced). Also I may have channeled some S2/3 Sloan. And lastly, I do not own either Garfield or Grey's Anatomy.**

* * *

"The sex with Henry is fantastic. I mean, mind blowingly amazing."

Arizona was startled out of her thoughts by the cardio surgeon's sudden appearance at the coffee cart in the atrium. She almost spilled coffee on herself as she whirled around to face the still bouncing blonde. "Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at her lips as Teddy continued to gush.

"He's so kind and- and thoughtful. And he does this thing. With his…"

"Woah-ho okay." Arizona quickly cut her friend off as they walked away from the cart. She pointed to herself. "I'm gay remember. I just…ew no." She made a face as Teddy started to blush. "Let's just stop with mind blowingly amazing." She led them over to the guard rail overlooking the lobby. "How did…"

Their conversation was interrupted by yelling that echoed through the empty space. "You stupid moron! Are you trying to piss me off or are you just that lazy and incompetent!" Mark Sloan shouted after Jackson Avery as the two doctors entered the skywalk.

"Oh." Teddy quickly turned around to look into the lobby below, Arizona following in suit as the two men passed behind them. "Guess we know who had Sofia last night." She whispered to the smaller blonde.

Arizona swallowed her sip of coffee before speaking. "Are you sure it's cause he was up all night? Maybe it's because Jackson is Lexie's new boyfriend."

"Dr. Sloan, I'm…" They heard the young resident start to defend himself before Mark cut him off.

"No. Shut up. You're off my service. Just…just…"

The two women shared a look before turning to face the quarreling men. "Mark." Arizona interrupted sternly. "Maybe you should calm down."

Teddy picked up where Arizona left off. "This is a teaching hospital, and whatever Dr. Avery did, you can't abuse the residents."

The plastic surgeon grit his teeth, his face red with anger as he continued to glare at his student. "Just go then. Get out of my face."

"Dr. Sloan…I…" Avery tried to interject again.

Arizona caught his eye and shook her head. "Jackson." She whispered warningly before gesturing with her head for him to leave. Once the resident had taken her advice and scampered off, she turned back to Mark and Teddy. "So what was that?" She asked patiently.

Mark huffed as he started to fill up his coffee mug from the airpot on the counter. "That kid is a study in incompetence. I barely slept all night because Sofia was crying and now I have him making decisions behind my back about _my _patients. I just can't handle him today. I mean," He gestured to Teddy, "You have Yang who is the perfect surgeon robot. And you," He gestured to Arizona, "Have Karev who is at least moderately competent. So why did I get stuck with the dud?"

Arizona forced herself to bite her tongue as Teddy spoke up. "Avery's not the dud. You're just tired. Drink some coffee and then go find another resident. Meredith Grey is probably free because I did not see her name on the OR board and I have no more surgeries today so you could probably get Yang. So...you have your pick of the twisted sisters. I'll have Avery round on my patients."

Mark sighed, nodding at her suggestion as he put a lid on his coffee cup. "Better pray that he doesn't kill any of them Altman. Think Yang will want to do a Blepharoplasty?"

Both blondes rolled their eyes. "Since when has Cristina ever turned down the chance to cut?" Teddy asked rhetorically.

"Hmm…" The grumpy plastic surgeon nodded and walked off, sucking down coffee from his cup as he left the two women standing on the skywalk.

They turned back to the rail, looking down into the lobby as they continued their conversation. "You don't have to placate him you know." Arizona spoke disapprovingly as she swirled the coffee around her cup, taking another sip after a few seconds.

"Yeah, well it was that or see him kill Jackson Avery and watch every Seattle Grace Mercy West surgeon lose a chance of ever winning a Harper Avery award."

Arizona nodded understandingly, tilting her head back to drain the rest of her coffee before pitching the empty cup into the waste bin beside her. She turned back to the rail, resting her forearms on the wood as she leaned forward, taking most of the weight off her prosthetic. "So I guess you were right that he had Sofia last night. Callie and Mark aren't living together? I'd figured…" She trailed off, looking up at the taller blonde, waiting for an explanation.

Teddy shook her head. "Callie moved out a month or so before you came back. She bought out your subletters and is back in the old apartment. They apparently had a falling out because Mark was still sleeping with every nurse and intern in the hospital after Little Grey dumped him. But I mean they patched up their friendship because he is the father after all."

"Yep. I'll never forget that." Arizona said sardonically, lowering her head so she could pinch the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. As annoyed as she was with Mark, she had to admit to herself that she was happy the brunette was no longer cohabitating with the plastic surgeon. She'd thought the two would still be living together which is why she never arranged to go see Callie or Sofia since their discharge.

Rubbing the hunched woman's back sympathetically, Teddy continued. "I overheard Callie talking to Bailey back when Sofia was doing the infant carrier test. They were discussing how the custody arrangement for Little Tuck worked. Apparently Bailey gets him most nights but he goes to his father's once or twice a week. Callie said that seemed the most logical. So I'm assuming that's the way her and Sloan have it arranged. It's been what?" She looked at her watch, "Two weeks or so since you discharged Sofia? You can tell the nights that Sloan has her because he's even more of a holy terror than usual.

"Hmm." Arizona agreed as he pushed herself upright. "That still doesn't give him a right to abuse the residents." She arched her back, twisting until her back cracked before straightening up to face the cardio surgeon.

Teddy looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Getting a little arthritic there Arizona?" She couldn't resist the playful jab as the pair started back down the skywalk towards the surgical wing.

The smaller blonde sighed. "I feel that way. But…" She shrugged good naturedly and kept walking.

Teddy frowned, unable to miss how Arizona unconsciously pressed her knuckles into her thigh as they walked. "How many more surgeries do you have today?"

"Just one. A myelomeningocele repair and VP shunt insertion with Shepherd."

"A long one. Is that the Malawi baby?" When the peds surgeon nodded, Teddy continued. "I'm doing the ASD repair and PDA closure on him next week pending the outcome of your surgery today."

Arizona stopped once they reached the nurses' station, pulling the patient's chart. "Who scheduled that? I thought I was…" She paused, shaking her head. "Forget it." She muttered angrily to herself as she flipped through the signatures in the chart.

Teddy looked at her in concern. "Stark asked me yester-…Oh. You thought you were doing it. Arizona, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

She shook her head, closing the chart and putting it back in the rack. "It's fine Teddy. If you need a first assist just let me know." She flipped over the surgical schedule that rested on the desk, skimming over the scheduled procedures.

"Arizona, you take lead. You would have been doing this procedure if you were still in Malawi. Hell it's the same surgery you did on Sofia." Teddy now understood why the peds surgeon was so frustrated. "I only agreed to it because I thought it was Stark's patient."

"Nope. Not Stark's patient." Arizona hunched over the desk, scribbling down details for her assigned procedures. "Just him snaking patients out from under me again. Patients that_ I_ had flown halfway around the world to Seattle so that_ I_ could treat." She kept her anger directed at the situation as opposed to at her friend who had done nothing wrong. Flipping back to the first page of the schedule she looked at her procedure for today and gave a sarcastic laugh. "Oh. Looks like I still get to do my VP shunt this afternoon. You know, that ten hour surgery that actually could be difficult for an amputee to stand through? Yeah, of course he's still letting me do that one. Because you know, if he operates until four in the morning it'll be really hard for him to make his tee-time tomorrow." She flipped the schedule back over with more force than necessary before shoving her hand written list in her pocket. She turned back to face the cardio surgeon, noting the look of surprise on the other woman's face. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on you." She sighed. "Two more months. Two more months until he is gone and I get my department back."

Teddy smiled at her sadly. In the four months that the peds surgeon had been back, Teddy had encountered all sides of her personality. She'd witnessed anger, heartbreak, and depression and she had also seen happiness, silliness, and perkiness come from the blonde. But this bitterness and sarcasm…this was something new. And it killed her to see it come over someone who had easily been the happiest person in the hospital at one time in the not so distant past.

Not noticing the cardio surgeon's internal conflict Arizona checked her watch. "Well, surgery is in four hours. I'm going to catch a little shut eye and then get prepped. Try not to have too much fun with your hottie boyfriend tonight. You do actually have to work tomorrow Teddy." She teased as she started to walk towards the on-call room.

"Arizona, wait!" Teddy quickly shouted, sprinting the few steps after her. When the petite woman turned around she pulled her into a hug. "Kick ass in your surgery today okay? You're awesome."

Arizona grinned as the embrace ended. "Thank you Teddy. I needed that. Have a good time tonight." She waved as she walked off, leaving the cardio attending alone in the hallway.

Teddy was torn. She didn't know what to do to best help her friend. With Mark Sloan nagging at her from one side and the lack of respect coming from her own department Teddy could understand why the peds surgeon seemed so bitter. Well, that and the permanent pain and fatigue that came from using a piece of metal to replace a flesh and blood leg. She sighed, walking back down the hallway towards the elevator. When the car came she entered and pushed the button for her floor, leaning back against the wooden wall. Automatically moving to get off when the car stopped, she crashed into the person who was entering.

"Woah. Hey. Why are you going to ortho?" Callie raised an eyebrow as she grabbed the cardio attending's shoulders to stabilize her after their collision.

Snapped out of her daze, Teddy looked up at her. "Oh sorry Callie. Wasn't paying attention." She reentered the car with Callie in tow, the later pressing the floor for the attendings' lounge. "First day back, how's it feel?"

"It's great." The brunette beamed. "Though I can't believe it's my baby girl's first day in daycare. How are you? Is everything alright? You seem distracted."

"Yeah…no actually. You know what's going on in the peds department right? Between Arizona and Stark?" When Callie nodded her head she continued. "He asked me to do a ASD/PDA on a patient. Thinking it was his I agreed. Turn out it's another patient he pulled from Arizona. So…" They were interrupted by the doors sliding open for the cardio floor. Teddy immediately hit the door close button. "I'll just come up with you to the lounge." She continued where she left off. "So Arizona is angry. And hurt. Rightly so. Plus she has this ten hour surgery tonight. She's been under so much pressure lately, I'm scared she's going to snap."

Callie's brow furrowed in concern. "Think she'd appreciate an audience in the gallery? A show of support? Sloan's got Sofia tonight so I'm off."

Teddy smiled at the brunette's eagerness to help. "I think she'd like that. Especially if it's you." They stepped off the elevator as the door opened and headed to the attendings' lounge. Callie grabbed some scrubs while Teddy filled up her coffee cup before joining Bailey at the table where the later was reading the newspaper.

"I'll do that." Callie nodded, sticking the folded scrubs under her arm before grabbing her own cup of coffee. I haven't seen her in a few days."

"Yeah. She's been really busy." Teddy nodded before jumping as something collided with her leg. _"What?"_ She mouthed at the general surgeon who had just kicked her under the table.

Bailey just rolled her eyes and went back to reading the newspaper. Their exchange went unnoticed by the Latina who was adding cream to her coffee.

Taking a sip and swallowing she turned back to face the seated women. "What time does her surgery start?"

"Six. She's sleeping in peds on-call right now but you may be able to catch her before surgery." Teddy moved her leg before Bailey could kick her again.

Still oblivious, Callie nodded, taking another sip of her beverage before heading towards the door. "Yeah. I think I'll do that. Catch you both later." She gave a little wave before heading down the hall to the bathroom to change into her scrubs.

Once she was out of earshot, Bailey dropped her paper to the table. "Tsk. You are just bad Altman." She swatted at the smirking cardio surgeon with the folded newspaper. "Leave those women alone."

Teddy laughed, her smirk widening into a smile, proud of herself for nudging Callie in Arizona's direction. "Oh come on Miranda. You know you want them to get back together. They love each other. They were my aspirational couple and since I just started dating again I need to have faith in love." She explained like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Bailey shook her head. "You're meddling. Nothing good comes from meddling."

Teddy stood, still smirking. "They belong together. You know I'm right."

Raising the paper to continue reading, Bailey responded, "Just because you're right doesn't mean you have to play Cupid."

"Not Cupid, just some helpful nudges. You know you do it too Bailey."

The general surgeon huffed. "Okay fine. Now get out of here. I'm trying to read Garfield."

* * *

After rounding on several newly admitted patients in the ortho department, Callie made her way down to the peds floor, coffee cup in hand. She asked the charge nurse where she could find the attending pediatric surgeon and was directed towards the peds on-call room. Checking her watch, she saw that it was almost 4:30. Knowing Arizona's habits from when they were dating, she knew that the surgeon liked to observe pre-op so she would be headed down to her 6:00 surgery soon. Calculating that the blonde would probably be awake behind the closed on-call room door, Callie raised her hand to knock.

Just as she was about to knock, the door was thrown open and Arizona walked out of the room, her head down as she clipped her pager back to her waistband. Having not realized that she had a visitor, she walked straight into Callie's chest.

"Oof." Both exclaimed at the same time as they bounced off each other. Quickly recovering, Callie managed to save the coffee and reach out her other hand to stabilize the diminutive blonde. "Careful there." She said with a smile as blue eyes popped up to meet hers.

"Hey Callie." A smile graced Arizona's face as she straightened her scrub top. "What are you doing in the peds ward? I don't have any ortho kids."

Callie's smile widened as she offered the cup of coffee to the blonde. "I came to bring this to you. I heard you have a marathon surgery tonight so I just wanted to wish you luck."

Arizona took a sip and grinned happily. "It's perfect. Thank you."

Callie chuckled, glad that a simple cup of coffee could bring so much joy. "Alright, now go kick ass."

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**Alright so now we know that Bailey and Teddy are Calzona shippers, Callie and Mark don't live together, and Stark is an ass (we already knew that last one).**

**One of my biggest frustrations with the show is they never addressed how much extra energy it takes Arizona to do the things she used to with a prosthetic leg. Above the knee amputees typically use 40%-70% more energy and oxygen than their able bodied counterparts just to walk. So it's understandable that she is completely exhausted. So the woman needs a little TLC. Hopefully soon Callie will be able to provide that for her, but for right now, coffee and a smile will have to suffice.**

**But now, since AZ knows that Callie doesn't live with Mark I think she may be a little more willing to come over. Especially since she does want to work on the relationship with Callie.**

**So as always, any ideas you have or things you'd like to see, please let me know. And please review. It makes my day!**

**Thanks,**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	31. Part VI: Ch 4

They had been operating for five hours already. Their movements were meticulous and synchronized as they carefully widened the spinal canal of the two month old, aware that any slip could leave their tiny patient paralyzed from the diaphragm down. Though not a true myelomeningocele because the cord hadn't fully herniated, it did lay flush with the spinous processes and was more exposed than it would be in either a meningocele or spina bifida patient. In fact, after they had started working, Dr. Shepherd had admitted his surprise that the patient did not have any associated motor or sensory deficits.

This little boy was the first of five patients that Arizona had arranged to be flown from Malawi to Seattle after she had learned that the clinic was unable to permanently fill her spot. The children were desperate for operations and the patient on their table now was the first to arrive, with the other four arriving within the week. Since it was out of the question for Arizona to fly to them it was the clinic manager who had suggested transporting them out to her. Knowing the good PR that this would bring to the hospital, Chief Webber quickly agreed to the plan and even appropriated funds for the procedures.

"This is a great thing you did Dr. Robbins." Derek complimented as the pair worked side by side in the OR.

She smiled behind her mask, continuing to suction out the surgical site as the neurosurgeon carefully reshaped the spinal canal. "There are four more coming. A nine month old baby girl with spina bifida, two tetralogy of Fallot kids, and a little boy with a cleft palate and some serious sinus and ear deformities."

The dark haired man nodded as the blonde listed the patients. "It sounds like you'll be keeping me, Altman, and Sloan busy." Derek chuckled. "And I know I speak for all three of us when I say we are glad to help."

Arizona chuckled lightly too. "Yeah. I really appreciate it. When I left Malawi, I had agreed to go back every six months to do operations on the kids who really needed it. But…getting in a plane crash kind of destroyed the likelihood of that happening. I know, I know that there is no reason why I can't fly back over there and do the operations, but I just…" She stopped talking, letting the thought die in her throat even as she continued to berate herself internally.

Derek looked at the petite blonde out of the corner of his eye as he worked. "No one is going to blame you for not wanting to go back there. Or for never getting on a plane again." He finished widening the canal. "Retract the ligamenta flava please."

"I've been on a plane since then." She traded her aspirator for forceps and pulled back the aptly named yellow structure.

The neurosurgeon gently nudged the spinal cord into the canal and Arizona let the ligament fall back over it. "I'm going to insert the cage now." He put his hand out for the metal mesh as the blonde walked around to the other side of the table so that she could stabilize it as he screwed it in. Before placing it, Derek looked up at her, catching her eye. "That's brave Arizona. It's more than I could have done."

She smiled again slightly, shifting all her weight onto her right leg before they started to screw in the cage. After they'd been working for another twenty minutes they were surprised when the intercom buzzed and Teddy's voice filled the room. "Hey Arizona. I'm headed out, but I just wanted to tell you that Stark's left for the night. I thought you would want to know."

Both of the surgeons in the operating room paused what they were doing, looking up to the blonde cardio surgeon in the gallery. While Derek looked confused, Arizona's face morphed into the picture of relief. "Thank you Teddy." She called up to her friend who gave her a smile and a nod before leaving the room.

"What was…" Derek started to ask but was cut off by Arizona raising her hands out of the body, stepping back from the table, and resting heavily on her sound leg.

The blonde stretched for a minute before limping back to the table and picking up the aspirator. "I apologize for that Dr. Shepherd."

His brow furrowed as the pieces clicked into place. While not close friends with the pediatric surgeon, the two were friendly and Derek was well aware of what was going on in her department. "Were you waiting for Stark to leave just so you could stretch?"

The blonde didn't meet his eyes as she nodded her head. Though Derek Shepherd was now just a colleague, at one point in the not so distant past he had been Chief of Surgery so her authority issues with the dark haired man lingered even after he had stepped down from the position. She mentally cursed herself for her sheepishness.

"Melanie will you bring Dr. Robbins a stool please."

This time her blue eyes did flash up to meet his in alarm. "Derek, I'm fine." Her words were unheeded by the nurse as a tall stool was placed beside her.

His baby blues shown with nothing but compassion and concern as he looked at her over his scrub mask. "No, you're in pain. You're going to be retracting for a while so sit. Every surgeon has to stretch Arizona." He waited until she was seated and had picked up the retractor before continuing. "Did you think Dr. Stark was going to walk in and catch you stretching and kick you out of the OR?"

The blonde sighed. "I wouldn't put it past him honestly. I know we all need to stretch and we all need to take breaks but he is doing everything he can to make me look unsuitable for this job."

She was answered by the whirling of a drill as the neurosurgeon screwed in another stabilizer in the baby's spinal canal. "This is one of the very few times I'm sorry that I'm not the Chief anymore. Because I would have fired his ass already." The drill whirled again as the neurosurgeon pumped it in the air before setting it down on the tool tray. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at the peds surgeon before grabbing a sterile towel and cleaning off the mesh that now made up the back of the infant's spinal column.

Arizona had to laugh at his nonchalance. "Thank you." She peered into the open back of the baby boy, the shiny metal of the mesh glinting up at her. "It's beautiful. I'll start the closure while you get started on the shunt?"

Shepherd nodded, "Maybe we can get out of here in nine hours instead of ten. Start the camera please." He pulled up his own stool to get started on the laparoscopic insertion of the peritoneal drain. They worked silently for a while until Derek paused so that Arizona could staple the incision. Without planning it, they had timed their work perfectly because the peds surgeon was done right when the neurosurgeon needed to flip the patient.

Arizona stood to give the order. "On my count. 1-2-3." On three, the surgical team seamlessly flipped the little boy and Derek resumed his work on the drainage tube. Settling back on her stool, Arizona knew she had a thirty minute window where she was unneeded before they placed the shunt in the patient's brain. Content to sit back and learn, she focused her attention on the screen that showed Dr. Shepherd's procedure. She watched intently until the surgeon in question spoke up and pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Dr. Robbins, have you given any thought to spinal stimulation? For your pain?"

Turning back to face the neurosurgeon she paused for a second, weighing the pros and cons of answering his query truthfully. Deciding that honesty was the best policy, she responded, "Dr. Moore in PM&R suggested it but I wasn't too keen on the idea. The last time I had a surgery I woke up missing half…more than half a limb. So having an operation is not something that I want to consider any time soon."

Derek nodded, understanding her reluctance. "Well if you ever chose to have it done. Let me know and I'll clear my schedule."

She smiled at him, the gesture once again hidden by her mask. "I appreciate that." She turned her attention back to the camera screen. "Now, can you explain to me how you will attach the drain to the ventricular shunt?"

* * *

The rest of the operation had gone smoothly, the two surgeons finishing in a record eight hours and forty-three minutes. After they had both scrubbed out, Derek turned to the petite blonde, extending his hand. "A pleasure working with you as always Dr. Robbins."

She smiled and firmly shook the offered hand. "You too Dr. Shepherd." The duo parted ways as they left the wash room. Arizona yawned as she walked towards the attendings' lounge to change back into her street clothes. Now that the adrenaline of surgery had worn off, she was beat. As she was walking she pulled her cellphone, pouting to herself when she saw no new messages. Sliding it back into her pocket, she looked up just in time to crash into the chest of someone wearing a leather jacket.

"Woah!" Callie chuckled, reflexively reaching out to catch the smaller woman. "We really need to stop meeting like this Arizona."

Arizona couldn't help the smile that spread on her face when she saw who she collided with. "Hello Calliope. Are you just getting off?"

The brunette nodded before pausing. "Well actually I was coming to watch the rest of your surgery…but you're done. That was pretty fast." She looked down at her watch realizing that it wasn't even 3:00 am. "You weren't supposed to be done for another hour."

Despite her fatigue, the grin widened. "Shepherd and I make an awesome team it…" Her words were cut off as she yawned loudly, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she looked at Callie sheepishly. "Sorry."

Callie laughed, feeling her heart flutter when, for a moment, the blonde looked just like a sleepy child. Callie knew that look well. It had made her smile every night that the two of them had been together. She linked arms with the petite woman, turning them back towards the attendings' lounge. "Come on sleepyhead. You need to get changed and then I'll walk you out."

Arizona nodded again with a small yawn, walking beside the ortho surgeon, only pulling away when they entered the lounge. "Can you shut the door?" She couldn't be bothered to go to the bathroom to change when she was so damn tired. When she heard the door click in place she grabbed her pants and walked to the couch. Pulling her drawstring, she let the scrub pants drop to the floor as she undid the straps for her prosthetic. Once she was free from the leg, she dropped onto the couch, detangling the navy blue scrubs from her legs, both flesh and metal, before quickly switching pants and redonning the prosthetic limb.

Callie watched silently from her corner of the room as the blonde quickly pulled off the now so very complicated task of changing clothes. She had tried to respectfully avert her eyes and give the other woman some privacy but it was as though there was some sort of uncontrollable pull that left her eyes glued to Arizona. She couldn't help the quiet gasp that escaped her lips as the blonde pulled off her scrub top before putting on her blouse. In that brief second, Callie was able to appreciate the toned abdomen and perfect bra-clad breasts that she used to worship nightly. Her mouth went dry as she pictured the creamy skin that she used to pepper with kisses each morning.

The blonde finished buttoning her shirt and turned back to face the other woman. She was surprised to see how dark the brunette's eyes were as she continued to stare at her. It briefly crossed her mind that she had just stripped in front of her ex-girlfriend without even thinking about it. But she quickly realized that she was too exhausted to care. They were friends and they were both women and this was a locker room. "Callie?"

That's all it took to break the spell. The ortho surgeon's mouth snapped closed as she was pulled out of her trance. "I'm sorry Arizona. I didn't mean to stare…I-I…"

Clearing her throat, Arizona stepped forward, once again linking her arm with the brunette's. "It's alright." She blushed as she yawned again. "Sorry. You've seen it all before Callie." She gave the tall woman's upper arm an affectionate squeeze before pulling her to the door.

Callie's face also reddened in a blush as they walked. She kept quiet until Arizona's limp got more pronounced with each and every step. As their pace slowed, Callie instinctively threw her arm around the smaller woman's shoulders, giving her someone to lean on as they made their way to the parking lot.

"Thank you Callie." Arizona said sincerely as they passed through the front doors of the building.

"Of course." Callie smiled sadly over her head as they continued to walk. Thinking for a moment, she decided to take a risk and make an offer to the obviously drained blonde. "Can I give you a ride home?"

Arizona immediately nodded as she leaned against her friend. It briefly crossed her mind that they fit together perfectly before another yawn wiped the thought away. "I'd really appreciate that Callie. If it's not too much out of your way."

"Not at all." The tall brunette redirected them so that they were headed towards her new SUV. Crossing to the passenger side, she helped the petite woman into the massive vehicle before going back around to climb into the driver's seat. "Where to?" She asked with a smile, glad that she was finally able to do something to help the woman she cared so much about.

Arizona gave her address and felt the car start to move as Callie began to drive.

They rode in silence for a few minutes before Callie decided to speak. "Arizona, I was thinking. Maybe we should…" She was cut off by the soft snores coming from the woman beside her. Looking over to the passenger seat, she smiled softly as she saw the blonde sound asleep with her head resting on her shoulder, finally getting some of the rest she deserved.

* * *

**Darn Arizona for falling asleep while Callie was trying to ask her something :-P**

**They're getting closer to each other folks. Arizona letting Callie help her is a major step so they're definitely on their way.**

**Someone suggested more of Karev running his mouth at Stark. I definitely like that idea. And I also have some good old Calzona throw back planned for soon.**

**Please let me know what you think. It really gets me amped up to write faster. And once again, I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter up. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	32. Part VI: Ch 5a

**I know it's short, but I am working on the second half of the chapter right now. I just wanted to get this up just incase I fall asleep before I can post the other section (it's turning out to be a little more lengthy than I thought it would be)**

**This half is for those of you who asked for some Callie/Arizona/Sofia time.**

* * *

With a deep breath, Arizona knocked on the blue door of apartment 502. This was her first time back in the building since she and Callie had very publically broken up in the airport more than ten months ago. Worried about the memories this visit would bring back, the peds surgeon had almost declined when Callie invited her over to see Sofia and have a light lunch before both women had to go in for evening shifts. However, for the sake of their blossoming friendship, and the fact that Arizona missed the baby who was easily her favorite patient, she had accepted the invitation.

The door swung open and Arizona found herself face to face with Callie and Sofia. The latter of which was sucking on the silver pendant that hung around her mother's neck. The blonde's face lit up when she saw the pair. "Hey Callie. Sorry I'm late." She entered the apartment before turning back towards little Sofia. She bent over so that she was in the baby's eye line. "Hi baby girl. You've gotten so big." She grinned and gave a little laugh as the infant squealed.

Callie chuckled too. "She's gotten very vocal. Do you want to hold her?"

The blonde nodded and extended her arms for the child. She cradled Sofia close to her chest as she sat on the couch, speaking gibberish and laughing as a tiny hand clamped onto a lock of her hair. Gently easing her hair out of the baby's iron grasp, she looked up at Callie. "She's perfect Callie. You must be so proud."

The brunette smiled, watching them interact for a few minutes before, picking up the pizza and plates off the counter, bringing them to the coffee table. "I am. I am so in love with her."

Arizona matched her smile, passing the baby back to its mother so that Callie could set her down on a blanket on the floor while they ate. Once the three were situated Arizona handed the new mom a plate with pizza and they settled back to eat. "Did you hear that Shepherd and Grey were thinking about adopting one of the kids I had brought over from Malawi?" Starving, she took a large bite of pizza, chewing as Callie responded.

"I'd heard something about it from Cristina." The brunette still frequently got updates from her former roommate. "What's her name? It started with a Z…Za…Zo…" She watched her daughter out of the corner of her eye.

The blonde swallowed and nodded, "Zola. She's a spina bifida patent. Shepherd did her shunt last week and he is just in love with her. If he and Meredith finally tie the knot for real I'd definitely support them adopting her."

"Oh you didn't hear?" Callie shifted on the couch, putting her leg under her as she leaned towards the other woman like a gossiping school girl. "They went to city hall two days ago. Meredith is officially Mrs. Derek Shepherd. Though don't call her that…according to Cristina she threw a fit when Kepner mentioned it."

Arizona laughed, "Well then a baby seems like the logical next step for them." She shoved another bite of pizza in her mouth before jumping as her pager started to beep frantically. "Ooh." She quickly swallowed her mouthful as she pulled the device out of her purse. She squinted at it, frowning as she read the message. "Mass casualty. All hands on deck. Did you…"

Her answer came as the ortho surgeon's pager also started to emit a shrill tone, the cacophony of beeping pagers startling the infant who began to cry, further adding to the noise in the room. The two women quickly stopped the beeping and Callie scooped up her screaming daughter. "Can you turn on the news while I get her bag together? Find out what's going on. It'll just be a minute and I'll drive us over. Unless you want to take your car and head over now."

"No, I'll catch a ride with you." The blonde responded, flipping on the TV as she carried the pizza box and plates to the kitchen. Dumping the trash and storing the rest of the pizza in the fridge she heard the anchor describing 'the chaos on scene.' Quickly walking back into the room to watch the report, she turned when she heard Callie leave the bedroom, a much calmer Sofia on her hip and a diaper bag over her shoulder. "Robbery gone bad at a Mini-mart." She explained, turning off the TV. She took the keys from Callie to lock the door as they stepped into the hall.

Calling the elevator, Callie bounced Sofia on her hip as they waited. When the car arrived they stepped in. "Shooting?" When the blonde nodded to confirm, Callie continued. "Shooting…lots of extremity trauma. Looks like I'll be busy. Were there any kids?" Her voice was solemn as she asked the pediatric surgeon.

Arizona sighed, "I didn't hear on the report but I'd assume so because otherwise they wouldn't have paged me 911." Exiting into the lobby they headed to Callie's car. After putting Sofia in her car seat, they both climbed in before heading to the hospital for what was sure to be a very very long night.

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**The second half of the chapter is coming soon. You can look forward to the big show down with Stark. I have it halfway written right now and I wanted to get it perfect. I'll update ASAP but please let me know what you thought of this domestic side of the Calzona friendship.**


	33. Part VI: Ch 5b

**I updated less than 2 hours ago with the first half of this chapter. Make sure you read that first. It was Arizona and Callie at Callie's apartment. Don't miss it!**

**Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter. Here's the showdown you have been waiting for. I hope it doesn't disappoint. (You'll note some similarities to 7x11- as always, I do not own Grey's Anatomy. Also any mistakes are mine).**

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Drs. Kepner, Karev, and Stark had been pulled into OR1 thirty minutes ago when one of the first ambulances from the scene brought a thirteen year old girl with serious leg, abdominal, and facial traumas.

"She was just out grocery shopping with her mother and she got shot. It's disgusting." April said sadly as she suctioned blood out of the abdomen while Stark checked for organ damage.

The attending pediatric surgeon sighed sharply, "Dr. Kepner, my OR is not a place for discussing your feelings. Leave your emotions outside or find someone to take your spot." he snapped at the young resident who quickly shut her mouth and traded her aspirator for a retractor. "Can someone please page Mark Sloan to take care of this girl's face!" He yelled towards the nursing staff before turning back to his residents. "Dr. Karev, can I trust you to finish suturing the liver lac without letting our patient bleed to death. I need to get started on the leg."

Gritting his teeth while wanting nothing more to rip into his attending, Karev hissed out a, "Yes sir," before taking the suture material from the nurse and starting the laceration repair.

After evaluating the leg for several minutes the attending pediatric surgeon shook his head. "Oh. Tsk tsk tsk." The he clicked his tongue. "This leg is a goner. Prep the bone saw for me." He directed his request at one of the scrub nurses.

April's head shot up in alarm. "Wait, you're going to amputate."

"That is traditionally what you do with a bone saw Dr. Kepner." He said sarcastically as the surgical instrument in question was handed to him.

"She's thirteen…"

Alex finished his sutures and interjected his thoughts as April talked. "Dr. Stark, she was moving her leg before we put her under. The leg is viable. You can do a graft and save it."

"Thank you Dr. Karev. I know very well what I can and can't do. She has a comminuted femur fracture with a life threatening hemorrhage. She can live without her leg, I think your mentor, Dr. Robbins, can tell you that. But she won't be alive for much longer if I don't get this bleeding under control."

The aspiring pediatric surgeon felt his blood begin to boil as his boss powered up the bone saw and began to move towards the young girl's leg. Instinctively he placed himself between the patient and the surgeon, paying no heed to the sharp object. "Dr. Robbins would be able to save this girl's leg!"

"Dr. Robbins should not even be allowed to be a surgeon!" Came his reflexive reply.

Both residents and the rest of the surgical staff were shocked by the man's harsh words. April gasped and Alex growled as he stepped closer to the surgeon, edging him further and further from the patient on the table. "Dr. Robbins is a better surgeon than you'll ever be you…"

He was cut off by the OR door swinging open. "What the hell is going on in here." Mark's deep voice boomed through the operating room causing all of the surgeons to turn and face him. He saw Karev and Stark in a face off while Kepner quickly slipped around to the other side of the table. He watched her put a clamp on the artery that was lacerated in the girl's leg to slow the blood flow.

Unaware of the other resident's actions, Stark directed his objections to the newly arrived plastic surgeon. "Dr. Karev is throwing his career away. That's what is happening. Get out of my OR now Karev!" he yelled.

Mark held up his hand. Indicating for Alex to stay where he was. "What exactly is the issue Dr. Stark?"

"This patient has a life threatening hemorrhage in her leg. Amputation is the best option…"

"The leg is viable! Robbins can save it and you know it!" Alex interjected, cutting off the surgeon, only quieting down again when Mark indicated for him to do so. As Stark stared indignantly at the resident, Mark leaned over to the supervising nurse, whispering for her to page Drs. Robbins and Torres.

Oblivious to what the plastic surgeon had requested Stark spun to face the still fuming resident. "I don't know what your deal is Dr. Karev, but clearly being the lapdog for that woman is affecting your judgment as a surgeon."

"My judgment is perfectly clear." Alex countered, still blocking the peds surgeon's access to the patient. "You're the one who is just too lazy to put in the extra effort to save this girl's leg."

"No I am being logical. If Robbins comes in here to take over this patient, then she'll probably kill her trying to save a leg that is already as good as gone. I do not trust that woman to control her own personal feelings about being a cripple so that she can keep her head clear enough to do what is best for this patient!"

"You bas-."

"Okay seriously?!" Mark had heard enough. He stepped between the quarreling surgeons, edging Stark further back from the patient. Quickly turning to April he asked, "Kepner, is the patient stable?"

The resident quickly nodded, "Every wound is stable sir."

Mark turned back to face the attending peds surgeon, crossing his arms over his chest to make himself even more intimidating as he loomed over the shorter man. "Did you hear that? Your patient is stable Dr. Stark. I know I speak for more than myself when I say that you are completely out of line with your comments today. Especially the ones about Dr. Robbins. Arizona Robbins is a world class surgeon, you'll be lucky if you ever become half the pediatric surgeon she is. You…"

He was cut off by the clearing of a throat from OR entrance. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw Arizona and Callie in their surgical caps and masks, standing with their arms crossed, watching the scene before them.

"What is going on here?" Arizona asked calmly as Callie put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hah of course." Stark dropped the bone saw on the instrument tray with a clatter. "The star returns." His voice dripped with cynicism as he addressed the other pediatric surgeon.

Callie started to step towards him, ready to tear into the balding man for what he had already said about the blonde. "You listen to…"

"Callie!" Arizona caught her arm, pulling her back to where they were standing before stepping forward herself. "Dr. Stark, if you have a problem with me, which we all know you do, then that is between you and me. Standing here arguing with everyone while there is a patient on the table is very contradictory to the oath we took as surgeons. Every person standing here right now knows that you think I am unfit as a surgeon because I only have one leg. I don't know how this idea that this disability would conflict with my ability to do my job came about." She knew everyone was staring at her, but she continued anyways. "I have always put my patients first and I am able to make the tough decisions. If Dr. Torres and I are unable to put in a graft and shunt in this girl's leg then I will make the call to amputate if that is what is best for _my_ patient." She placed her hand on her chest as she continued talking, taking another step closer to the man who had made her life hell. "I do not let my personal feelings about having one leg conflict with my surgical decisions." She walked even closer so that only several feet separated the two pediatric surgeons. All eyes were on her as she spoke again. "Somewhere in the back of your twisted mind you have painted me as a monster, unfit, unskilled, but we all know that you just feel threatened by me. In two months your contract is up and I'll get my department back." She crossed her arms back over her chest as she stared him down.

Dr. Stark shook his head, laughing as he stepped forward, closing the space between them, jabbing her in the chest with his index finger. "Listen to me you little…"

"Dr. Stark!" Yet another voice called out as Chief Webber stepped into the room. Holding a surgical mask in front of his mouth he addressed the man from the doorway, not wanting to break the still sterile operating field. "I was on my way to OR2 when the commotion in here caught the attention of every single hospital employee in the hallway. Imagine my surprise when it is one of my department heads who is causing the problem."

The short man stepped away from the blonde, approaching the Chief of Surgery to defend himself. "Dr. Webber, Dr. Robbins and her lapdog," He gestured to Dr. Karev, who was still paying very close attention to the conversation while he and Kepner continued to monitor their patient, "Have been very unprofessional." He gestured to his fellow pediatric surgeon, "She…"

"Has been nothing but professional, more so than I would have been if I were in her place." The Chief interjected. "Clearly Dr. Stark, you are not familiar with the ADA or even the harassment policies of this hospital. Dr. Robbins is, for the moment, your subordinate, so yes you can get onto her if she does something wrong. But you cannot _harass _her and that is what I have seen. It's not just today. I have reports from several of the peds nurses and many of your fellow surgeons who have witnessed your abuse of Dr. Robbins. So, you will relinquish this patient to Drs. Robbins and Torres, you will not touch another patient today, and you will be in my office at 9:00 pm tonight. Now get out of this OR."

Stark gaped at him wordlessly, the face hidden behind his surgical mask as he threw his hands up in disgust. Too angry to talk, he forcefully ripped off his gloves and surgical gown before storming out of the room.

The OR was silent except for the regular beeping of the patient monitor for several seconds before Webber spoke again. "Looks like you all have a patient to save. Get to work people." He grinned behind his mask, turning to leave. He stepped through the doorway before turning around and catching the door before it could close. "Oh, and Robbins?" He lowered his mask as he leaned back into the OR.

The blonde who was still standing awkwardly in the middle of the OR floor spun around to face him. "Yes sir?"

He smiled at her. "Come and see me when you're out of surgery." With a wink, he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him.

Shocked, the peds surgeon continued to stand there as Callie stepped over to rub her back. It was silent for another second until the beeping of the monitors was covered up by the sound of clapping from the surgical staff who were applauding the now blushing blonde.

Callie leaned over and whispered in her ear as she continued to rub soothing circles on the stunned woman's back. "That was amazing Arizona."

Snapped out of her daze, she turned to face the brunette, her eyes twinkling as she smiled behind her surgical mask. They held each other's gaze for another few seconds before the blonde turned back to face the rest of the OR, the blush once again spreading on her face as they continued to cheer for her. She raised her hands to quiet them down, touched by their show of support. "Okay okay. Thank you all." She gave a little laugh before continuing. "Now let's get back to work. We have a little girl to save."

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**People asked for Karev defending Arizona, Sloan defending Arizona, and Arizona defending herself. Also some more Callie being supportive and stolen glances. I hope I got this covered.**

**Wow that was a lot of characters in a scene. That was even more complicated to write than Callie's trauma and surgery scenes. I hope it didn't confuse anyone!**

**Please please let me know what you think! It makes my day.**

**P.S. More Calzona to come.**


	34. Part VI: Ch 6

**Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter. They made my day. I know things aren't exactly like the show and some character traits get exacerbated for the sake of story telling (i.e. I know Stark isn't the root of all evil however it makes a fantastic plot point for this story-thank you though to the reviewer who pointed this out).**

**This chapter takes place over a short period. I did it this way for a reason. One was to explore more of Arizona's internal monologue (which another reviewer pointed out was lacking recently-thank you). Callie got to express how she felt about Arizona to Addison a few chapters back, but for Arizona, everything is in her head. This chapter explores that and it also provides the conflict that will cause the ramp up to the end of this part (remember part VI is Calzona friendship and VII will be Calzona relationship). That should be in two or three more chapters. I apologize that the chapters are on the shorter side (~2000 words) but I do update every day so I hope that makes up for the length.**

**As always, I don't own Grey's and all mistakes are mine.**

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"Well ladies, my work here is done." Mark Sloan stood from his seat at the end of the table and looked down back down at his patient. The facial trauma for their thirteen year old shooting victim was less extensive than they initially thought and Sloan had finished his repair in less than thirty minutes. "She is beautiful, won't even have a scar." He took off his surgical gown and gloves. "The pit is full of people who need sutures. Can I take Kepner or Karev?" He directed his question towards the two attending surgeons who had been working on the young girl's leg.

Arizona looked up. "Uh…Karev, how's the abdomen looking?"

"We're done with the lap. The bullet was a through and through. We sutured the liver lac, repaired the perfed bowel, and cleaned her out. All that's left is to close."

"She really was lucky." Kepner added as she removed the remaining lap pads from the patient's abdomen, handing them to the scrub nurse so they could be counted per OR protocol.

The blonde nodded her head. "Alright, thank you both. Kepner, do the closure, then you can both go with Dr. Sloan to the pit."

Both residents nodded and Alex stepped away from the table as April reached for suture material. As Alex passed behind her to walk out, Arizona looked at him over her shoulder. "Hey Alex? Thank you." Her voice was sincere as she whispered her gratitude to him. "I know you stood up for me too."

The tall man pursed his lips, trying to repress a smile. "Yeah, don't worry about it. He had it coming. I just can't believe he was going to cut it off without even attempting a repair. I mean, she is hemodynamically stable."

She smiled at him behind her mask and gave a little laugh in her throat as he exited the OR. Turning back to the patient she tuned into the conversation that Callie and the plastic surgeon were having.

"I should be out of here in a few hours. I'll pick up Sofia and keep her at my place for the night."

Callie nodded her head and spoke quietly back to him. "Thank you. Just take her to daycare in the morning and I'll pick her up tomorrow afternoon. I only have one surgery tomorrow and I'm not on call."

Arizona sighed internally as she got back to work on the patient's leg while the other two surgeons continued their hushed conversation. She enjoyed visiting with Callie and Sofia. It felt domestic. It felt right. Until she was reminded that Mark was part of the equation. Mark Sloan, who had been one of the biggest obstacles in her and Callie's relationship since day one had also been one of her biggest advocates today. She heard their conversation end and set down her surgical instruments. "Hey Mark?"

"Yeah?" He turned back towards the blonde.

"Thank you for defending me today."

"Of course Robbins. He was out of line." Sloan started to walk back towards the door before spinning around again. "Oh and congrats on getting your department back."

"I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch. I don't know that I am getting it back yet." She picked up her scalpel again and heard Mark chuckle before leaving the room. The peds surgeon could feel Callie's eyes on her as she harvested the saphenous vein for the graft. She chewed her lip, glad that the surgical mask was hiding her nervous tick. Stark. Mark. Sofia. Callie. And she may still have to amputate a teenager's leg. Her brain was a jumbled web of thoughts as her hands worked on autopilot.

Stark had pushed her too far and the dam that held back the things she wanted to say to him finally broke. Despite bringing it up herself when she'd lectured the man, Arizona was still extremely self-conscious about her leg. For him to bring it up in front of her co-workers was now eating away at her as she dwelled on what the other surgical staff may be thinking.

Her leg was private, her secret truth. Something she kept hidden under navy blue scrubs. Something that she only let other people see in a medical capacity. She had flaws, what human didn't. But this was her major imperfection, something that still caused such anguish every time she woke up and saw how the covers dipped down to the mattress, the asymmetry between her right and her left.

Then there was Mark. She didn't know what to do or what to think about the man. A certain part of her still hated him for sleeping with Callie, though as he has said several months ago, it does take two to tango. Another part of her was so extremely grateful for what he had said to Stark in her defense. She'd cut him off before he could say much but from what she had heard, she was sure that he respected her, at least as a surgeon and colleague. So what did that make him? Was he a friend or foe? And how did him being Sofia's other parent alter what she thought of him?

Sofia, the beautiful baby that she was falling more and more in love with every time she saw her. Sofia looked just like her mother, she had every feature of Callie's that Arizona loved. Every time she held her, it felt so right and it came naturally. Callie and Arizona were supposed to have a child together though. So how could she love a child that was actually Callie and Mark's…_Wait! Why the hell was she even thinking about this? Sofia wasn't hers and she wasn't even in a relationship with the infant's mother._ The peds surgeon shook her head to dispel the thoughts, momentarily pausing her vein harvest. The thoughts had flown like rapid fire through her brain and Callie was still looking at her. Those chocolate brown eyes studied her closely as they had for the past minute or so since Mark had exited the OR.

"Are you okay Arizona?" Callie's voice was full of concern as she watched the peds surgeon suddenly stop her harvest and shake her head.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm good. Sorry. Were you able to reanastomose those ends?" She looked at the severed femoral artery that the orthopedic surgeon was working with.

"No. There's way too much of a gap. The bullet shredded everything and the femur fracture just complicates matters. So I'm going to need as much of the vein as you can get."

Arizona nodded her head, resuming her harvest. "Okay. I just need a few more minutes."

"Take your time." Came Callie's gentle reply.

_And…Callie._ Arizona's brain resumed its warp speed analysis of her ex-girlfriend/close friend. There was Callie. Kind, sweet, beautiful, patient Callie who Arizona had been in love with since she first laid eyes on her. Callie, who Arizona had stupidly dumped in an airport which is what started this mess. Callie, who was the reason why Arizona was on a plane that ended up crashing in an African desert. Callie, who had told Arizona that she loved her a month ago in the rehab gym. Arizona had no clue how to return that sentiment even though she felt it in her own heart to be true. But it was such a loaded situation. Callie had a newborn, who Arizona was admittedly in love with, but it was with another person. No matter what happened now, there would always be that extra factor to consider. Their friendship had blossomed wonderfully and the blonde was scared to alter this comfortable rhythm they had going despite the fact that every day she wanted more and more from the other woman.

"So where do we go from here?"

Arizona was startled out of her thoughts by Callie's question. She looked around, seeing that Callie was the only other surgeon in the OR. Sometime during the duration of her internal monologue April must have finished the abdominal closure and left. "I'm sorry. What?" Arizona looked down, surprised that she was no longer holding the saphenous vein. She looked back up to see their biograft in Callie's hands.

"I said that the vein isn't long enough. So where do we go from here? Are you sure you're okay Arizona?" Callie tilted her head, looking questioningly at the blonde. Her voice had that gentle calm quality that put anyone at ease.

Arizona exhaled, her heart doing that little flutter skip that was reserved for the brunette. _Snap out of it_. She mentally scolded herself before clearing her throat and closing her eyes to think for a second. When her eyes opened, she met Callie's gaze. "Let's harvest the other vein. I want to give this girl as much of a chance as possible. How much do you need?"

"With the damage done by the bullet and the splintered femur I had to do cut downs at mid-thigh to the knee. At least ten inches."

"That's… a lot." Arizona looked over at the arterial gap.

"I know…" Came the ortho surgeon's solemn reply. "Your harvest was fantastic though. We got five viable inches from the vein you gave me. So I'm going to start the graft with this while you harvest the other leg. What do you think? Start cranially? Just in case…" She hesitated to say the word amputate but if the other saphenous vein wasn't useful, or there just wasn't enough Callie wanted to attach the vessel they did have to the more superior severed end so that if they did amputate the girl's leg, it wouldn't be at the hip.

The same thoughts ran through Arizona's head as she began to prep the other leg. She nodded, "Just in case."

* * *

Arizona looked at the beautiful vein that she had just harvested from her patients other leg. It was perfect. It was healthy tissue. It was too short. She sighed. The vein had been deeper in the patient's right leg than it had been in the left. It became narrower much earlier than the other one had and there was nothing left that was suitable for an arterial graft. She met Callie's eye as soon as the brunette looked up from suturing in the first graft. She shook her head, holding the harvest out for the orthopedic surgeon to see.

Callie sighed and looked back at her. She could see the conflict playing in Arizona's blue eyes. They had exhausted all their options. There was no other biologic graft material that was suitable for the high pressured femoral artery. "What can we do?" She knew what the only option was and she was worried about how it would affect the blonde surgeon.

Arizona swallowed, her heart racing as she looked down at her thirteen year old patient. This little girl had her whole life ahead of her and because some psychopath had decided to shoot up a grocery store, it was now unknown what her future held. The racing stopped and her heart plummeted into her stomach when she ran through all the medical options. They had done all they could. And what they could do wasn't enough. There was only one option left. "Cut it off."

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*** In my head I pictured a record screeching as Arizona had that thought about Sofia**

**How is this decision going to affect Arizona? Also since both women have either admitted it to someone else or to themselves, who is going to make that first step out of friendship into relationship. Cause they both do want it.**

**Please please please let me know what you think. It makes me super motivated. Super!**


	35. Part VI: Ch 7

**Hey everyone. Thank you all for your reviews on the last chapter. Here is the next. It picks up right were the last left off. I had initially planed for them to be able to save the leg. But for the sake of realism (severed femoral arteries frequently result in amputation) and the fact that it allows for some more exploration of Arizona's feelings (which conveniently allows for more Calzona interaction) I changed my mind about the surgical outcome. **

**I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. As always, I don't own Grey's, all mistakes are mine, etc. I think there is one chapter left in Part VI before we start Part VII.**

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_Arizona swallowed, her heart racing as she looked down at her thirteen year old patient. This little girl had her whole life ahead of her and because some psychopath had decided to shoot up a grocery store, it was now unknown what her future held. The racing stopped and her heart plummeted into her stomach when she ran through all the medical options. They had done all they could. And what they could do wasn't enough. There was only one option left. "Cut it off."_

"Cut it off," she repeated, "just try to leave as long of a residual limb as possible. It'll um…" She cleared her throat. "It'll make fitting a prosthetic easier."

Callie nodded, her heart broke as she saw how much Arizona was struggling with this decision. "I'll level the bone off at the break. So just a few inches above the knee."

The pediatric surgeon couldn't take her eyes off the open leg, the site of their failed repair. "Good. That's-that's good."

"Arizona are you okay?" The orthopedic surgeon ducked her head to try to meet Arizona's eyes. Catching those blue eyes, she maintained her gaze as the blonde looked back up at her. "If you want to leave, I can take care of this." She knew the other woman was beating herself up internally.

"No." Arizona said firmly. "I can do this. She's my patient and I'm going to stay." She felt an eerie calm come over the OR. The scrub nurses were silent as they respected the two surgeons' obviously difficult conversation and the only noise was the regular beeping of the patient's monitors. The blonde picked up her scalpel as she felt Callie's soft gaze still watching her. Her bottom lip once again found its way between her teeth as she heard the brunette's murmured agreement.

The two women worked silently and slowly, carefully dissecting muscles, nerves, and blood vessels away from the femur. As she sealed the last blood vessel, she saw Callie reach for the curved clamp. Moving her hands away she watched as the brunette slid the metal blade beneath the bone. As she observed the brunette work, Arizona's hearing was muffled like she was under water and she didn't hear the scraping of the metal on the bone but she knew that the orthopedic surgeon had just asked for the bone saw.

Moving down towards the foot of the table, she grabbed ahold of the girl's injured leg. One hand beneath the knee, her other grabbing the ankle, she provided the traction that Callie needed for the next step in the surgery. She was vaguely aware of the orthopedic surgeon saying that she was going to start before she felt the vibrations and heard the angry whirl of metal on bone as Callie began to saw through the femur. Stark had been right. The girl was going to lose her leg.

As Callie worked, the blonde mentally ran through their procedures. Everything that they had done had been for nothing and now here she was, holding the leg of a little girl that was about to become biological waste. She wondered if her amputation had gone like this. Had the surgeons exhausted every option before taking the saw to her leg? No, she reasoned, she hadn't had time for options, she had been dying of septic shock, her leg literally killing her. There had been no time fancy procedures or innovative fixes. She had known for a while, that no matter how much it sucked, her surgeons had made the right call. But it was different for this little girl. She had been hemodynamically stable with no infection and sepsis wasn't even on the radar. She had time for the surgeons to attempt daring repairs and her surgeons had failed her.

Arizona felt the instant the bone gave way, most of the tension dissipating as one of the hamstring muscles and fascia maintained the only connection between the girl's thigh and the rest of her leg. Callie cut through the remaining muscle and the job was done. On autopilot Arizona gathered the limb in sterile drapes and gave it to one of the scrub nurses for disposal. When she looked back, Callie was already closing up the stump, leaving a neat line of sutures to seal the rounded edge.

"Hey Arizona?" Callie's gentle voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Blue eyes snapped up to brown as the pediatric surgeon raised her head. "Yeah."

"Can you hold the leg up so I can bandage it?"

"Oh. Yeah." She felt numb as she lifted the limb. This was all too familiar and it was not fair that it was happening to someone so young and innocent. She felt like she failed this girl. And furthermore she felt like she had wasted the time of everyone in the OR because Stark had been right. They did have to amputate. But she had made a scene and there had been a full blown argument in the middle of the OR with a patient on the table. Stark would have a field day when he found out about this.

Callie finished and pinned the bandage. She stepped back from the table and pulled off her gloves as she watched Arizona slowly set the leg back down on the table and do the same. "We're all done here." She spoke quietly to the charge nurse. "Can you get her cleaned up and up to ICU? Dr. Robbins and I are going to scrub out and talk to the parents."

When the nurse nodded her head, Callie moved behind the silent blonde and untied her surgical gown before ripping her own off and disposing of them both in the waste bin. She laid a gentle hand on Arizona's arm and gave her a little tug to start her moving.

Aware that Callie was pulling her along, the blonde snapped out of her daze and quietly walked with her to the scrub room. They both automatically reached for bars of soap, not talking as they completed their scrub out procedure. Once she was done, Arizona ran a tired hand over her face before pulling her scrub cap off and shoving it in her pocket

When the water was off and her hands were dry, Callie turned and rested against the sink, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at the pediatric surgeon. "Will you tell me what you're thinking Arizona?" She reached out and tucked a blonde lock behind the other woman's ear, smiling gently when Arizona leaned into her hand.

The blonde squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears at bay, bringing her own hand up to keep Callie's on her cheek. "That Stark was right. I underestimated how much that was going to affect me."

"No. No." Callie shook her head, pulling her hand back and placing her palms on the blonde's shoulders. "Stark was not right at all Arizona. He wasn't even going to try. You fought so hard for her. Remember how you said it was a pediatric surgeon's job to advocate for their patients because they can't do it for themselves? That's what you did today. She would have wanted you to try, and we did our best. Sometimes it's just not enough and as surgeons we know that." She raised her hand and dried the tears that had spilled onto pale cheeks. "And as for the other things Stark said, he couldn't have been more wrong. You are a fantastic surgeon Arizona and no matter how much it affected you, you were able to make the right call in that OR today. You have no idea how proud I am of you."

A timid smile found its place on the blonde's lips as she nodded her head lightly. She leaned forward, placing her head on the taller woman's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her as she held her tight. "Thank you Callie." She took a comfort in the brunette's warm embrace. They fit together and it was perfect.

Callie loved how Arizona's head fit perfectly against her neck, blonde hair tickling her chin. She pulled back slightly and pressed a kiss to the top of Arizona's head, lingering slightly longer than a friend would as she inhaled the smell of the blonde's strawberry shampoo. That was something that hadn't changed in all the years she had known her. "You are so welcome Arizona." She squeezed her tight before releasing her and looking into her bright blue eyes. "Do you want me to go talk to the parents alone? You don't have to come."

"No. I'll come with you." She slipped her hand into Callie's and gave it a tight squeeze before letting go. "I can do this."

The brunette smiled, "I know you can."

* * *

Arizona stood outside the chief's office, shifting her weight as she nervously twisted her fingers, trying to convince herself to knock on the wooden door. She and Callie had just finished talking to the parents of their thirteen year old patient, Abbie Greer, and it had been an emotional experience.

"_Family of Abbie Greer?" Callie stepped into the waiting room with Arizona at her side. The room was packed with the family members of the supermarket shooting victims._

"_Right there." Arizona whispered as a couple stood up from the chairs in the corner of the room. The man rested his hand on the back of a petite woman who had her arm in a sling and blood on her clothes. "Abbie was shopping with her mother."_

_They walked over to the couple and gestured for the man and woman to follow them to a more private area of the waiting room. "Mr. and Mrs. Greer? I'm Dr. Torres, this is Dr. Robbins. We just finished operating on your daughter."_

"_Abbie, how is she?" The father asked desperately, his voice laced with concern as his wife leaned against him, her face the picture of a worried parent._

"_She is in the ICU. Our plastic surgeon repaired her facial trauma and we did the repair on her abdomen. Unfortunately we had to…she…" Arizona stopped and swallowed, unable to continue as the parents eyes bore into her, pleading for details on their daughter._

_Callie seamlessly picked up where the blonde left off, subtly moving her hand to the small of Arizona's back. "The damage to the main artery in her left leg was too severe. We attempted several venous grafts, harvesting a superficial vein from both her right and left legs. But there was not enough replacement vessel to bridge the gap in her thigh. We had to…"_

"_No." The mother's voice came out as a pained whisper._

"…_amputate her left leg…"_

"_Please no." The petite woman continued to plead as she squeezed her eyes shut, her husband leaning down to place a kiss on her head as tears welled up in his eyes._

"…_just above the knee." Callie chanced a glance at the blonde beside her while the parents weren't looking at them. Arizona was looking straight ahead, watching the parents try to understand their daughter's loss. She could see the compassion and anguish in the peds surgeon's eyes and increased the pressure of her hand on the small of her back, just reminding the blonde of her presence. _

_Arizona found herself wondering about her own parents. Had Barbara and Daniel reacted this way when they were told about their daughter's lost limb? Had the surgeon that came to them in the waiting room been callous or were they compassionate like Callie? She didn't know. And in this instance, she didn't care. She redirected all her attention to the parents of her patient and cleared her throat as she leaned into Callie's hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Greer, I want to express my most sincere condolences for what all of you have experienced today. Depending on how her recovery goes, Abbie will need to spend about two weeks in the hospital. When she wakes up, we will move her out of the ICU and to the pediatric floor where I will be overseeing her care." She bit her lip and paused as the parents looked up at her, their eyes full of tears. "I know-I know this seems impossible right now. But she is a survivor and she will get through this. When the surgical site is more healed we will get her started with physical therapy and walking with a prosthetic limb. We also have counselors available for her or either of you if you so need. She'll need your support as she comes to terms with what she has lost. But she can get through this." Arizona held their gaze, speaking clearly with a calming tone that came from years of working with worried parents. "If you head over to the nurses' desk, they can take you up to her room. You'll want to be there when she wakes up. It is better if the news comes from you than from a doctor she is not familiar with. If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to page me. Any of the nurses can get ahold of me and I or one of my staff will be there as soon as possible." She paused again when she saw the father nod his understanding. "Once again, I am so sorry for what has happened."_

_The father continued to nod his head as he extended a shaky hand towards the pediatric surgeon. "Thank you Dr. Robbins." He shook her hand before extending it to Callie, "Dr. Torres." He shook her hand too before slipping his hand into his wife's uninjured one. "We're going to go see our daughter now." They walked away from the pair of surgeons, heading towards the nurses' station._

_Once they were out of ear shot, Arizona let out a heavy sigh, turning to face the orthopedic surgeon. _

_Callie smiled down at her, rubbing her arm gently. "You did a good job Arizona. I know it wasn't easy."_

"_I was thinking about my parents." Arizona admitted. "How they must have felt when they got this news. But then I pushed that thought away and focused on my patient and…it wasn't any harder than taking to the parents of any other patient." She was surprised as she came to this realization. "I know some part of me is going to feel guilty about this little girl. But this isn't about me. It's about her. And I can help her."_

_Callie's smile widened. The blonde's selflessness made her heart skip a beat. Just another little thing that made her fall more in love with the woman before her. "You are amazing." _

_Arizona's cheeks reddened in a blush. That was a sentiment that she had echoed to the brunette time and time again while they were dating. Hearing her words come from Callie's lips, she couldn't help but smile sweetly up at her._

_They stood in silence for several more seconds until Callie's pager started to beep. The brunette broke eye contact and groaned, looking down at the device. "Dr. Whit needs me in OR 3." _

_The blonde nodded. "I have to go meet with the Chief. So I'll see…"_

"_I'll see you later." Callie grinned as the peds surgeon's blush spread again. She turned on her heel, walking off, giving her ass a little shake just for the blonde's benefit. Her grin remained plastered on her face as she heard Arizona's muffled giggle behind her._

Talking with Callie, Arizona had felt some of her confidence return. But now, as she stood in front of the Chief's office, her issues with authority played a little on her nerves. Taking a deep breath, she raised her fist and pounded on the door. She only had to wait a second before Dr. Webber called for her to enter. Sealing herself, she pushed the door open and strode into his office, head held high.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think. Reviews make my day!**


	36. Part VI: Ch 8

**Wow, 400 reviews. I can't believe it. Thank you!**

**Here is the end of Part VI of the story. I don't own Grey's and all mistakes are mine. Also in the last chapter, I said Abbie was being taken to the ICU. That was incorrect, she'd be taken to the PICU. It is corrected in this chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_Talking with Callie, Arizona had felt some of her confidence return. But now, as she stood in front of the Chief's office, her issues with authority played a little on her nerves. Taking a deep breath, she raised her fist and pounded on the door. She only had to wait a second before called for her to enter. Sealing herself, she pushed the door open and strode into his office, head held high._

"Ah, Dr. Robbins." Chief Webber smiled as the pediatric surgeon walked into his office. "How did your surgery go?"

"Uh…" Arizona slowly lowered herself into the chair, maintaining her balance on her sound leg. "We had to amputate. There wasn't enough venous graft to bridge the gap in the artery." Once seated, she looked up at her boss.

The Chief of Surgery frowned as he received the disappointing news. "That's too bad." He steepled his fingers, his elbows on the desk as he studied her. "How are you?"

She shook her head in response to his question. "I'm fine. It was just another surgery Chief." That niggling feeling of doubt started to tug at her stomach. "I apologize if I gave you any indication that I couldn't do my job. If I…"

Webber raised a hand to stop her. "Robbins, I had no doubt you could do your job. What I wanted to talk to you about was the animosity in your department between yourself and Dr. Stark."

Still on the defensive, she immediately began to apologize again. "I'm sorry for…"

"Arizona." He interrupted the blonde. "I'm not reprimanding you. The way Dr. Stark has treated you since finding out about your…disability has been unprofessional and inappropriate. As I said in the OR I have letters of complaint from many of your staff and fellow surgeons." He gestured to the array of papers on his desk. "The reason I did not take action until today is because the only letter of complaint I don't have, is one from you. And as you know, I need a complaint from the wronged party in order to take action. Dr. Robbins, I need to know if you have felt pressured in any way to keep silent about anything Dr. Stark has said to you or about you to patients' parents."

The blonde was surprised by the Chief's question. "No. Sir." She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Dr. Stark has questioned my ability to do my job and has questioned my judgment. He has stolen my patients and reassigned them to other surgeons. And he has recommended that parents of patients chose another surgeon for their child's operation. It undermines me and my training and yes sir, it makes me very angry."

"Then why didn't you say anything until you yelled at him in the OR today?"

She felt her cheeks heat up in an embarrassed blush. Arizona knew she had made a scene today and she was berating herself for her unprofessionalism. "I'm sorry Chief. I just couldn't take it anymore. My disability is something that I like to keep secret and he advertises it for everyone to see."

Webber nodded his head, he knew that the blonde was a private person. "I understand why you didn't say anything Dr. Robbins." He stood and walked around the desk, leaning back on it as he appraised her. "As of two hours ago, Dr. Stark was suspended from this hospital for unprofessional behavior and harassment."

Arizona's eyebrows shot up, surprised that action had already been taken. "So…when does he come back?" She was worried that the other pediatric surgeon would be even more unbearable once he returned. _There were only eight weeks left of his contract regardless. She could handle eight more weeks with the man. Couldn't she? Unless_…her heart sped up as she had a horrifying thought…_what_ _if the hospital renewed his contract. He could…_

"Robbins."

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the Chief call her name. Looking up at him, she realized that she'd missed the last thing he'd said. "I'm sorry Chief, what was that?"

"I said that Dr. Stark decided to quit instead of take the suspension." He watched her eyes widen as she understood the implication of his words. He gave a deep chuckle at Arizona's comical "o" face. Webber continued, "His resignation is effective immediately."

"So that means…"

"You are now the head of the department of pediatric surgery. Congratulations Dr. Robbins." He held his hand out to shake, a smile present on his face as he saw the woman quickly push herself out of the chair.

"Thank you sir!" She shook his hand, unable to conceal her excitement. With her reinstatement as department head, she felt that things were finally returning to normal.

* * *

Several hours later Arizona had finally gotten around to charting on all the patients she had seen that day. When she had left the Chief's office, she briefly went to check on her department before heading down to the pit to help out in any way possible. After hundreds of sutures and a lot of debriding she now had nine patient charts to fill out, one of which belonged to Abbie Greer, her thirteen year old amputation patient. Sighing as she picked it up, she flipped through, reading the procedure note that Callie had already dictated. Deciding that she should start with the little girl's, the blonde settled at the attendings' lounge table and started working.

She'd only been writing for about two minutes when her pager started to blare. Arizona squinted at the screen, her heart starting to race when she realized she was being paged to Abbie's room in the PICU. Walking as fast as she could, she tore down the hall towards the elevator, frantically pressing the button to call the car. She knew how this went. Abbie had woken up and realized her leg was missing. Her parents had probably tried to calm her down and were unsuccessful. The small girl was probably freaking out. Arizona growled when the car didn't come fast enough, she pushed herself away from the wall, jogging towards the stairwell, testing the limits of her artificial limb. As she ascended the stairs she remembered what had happened when her father had told her her leg was gone.

"_Get out! Get out!" Arizona screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking and raw from her recent intubation. She had just thrown back her covers and had seen a bandaged stump where there had been a leg, albeit broken, just several hours prior._

"_Arizona, sweetheart…" Barbara tried to reach out to her daughter but Daniel pulled her back as the younger blonde screamed again._

"_Get out of my room! You did this to me!" She grabbed blindly for anything in reach, her fingers latching onto the phone as she grabbed the plastic box. "You did this to me!" She ripped the box from the wall, hurling at her parents. Still weak from sepsis, the phone barely cleared the bed, clattering at her parents' feet._

"_Arizona Robbins!" Her father bellowed, stepping over the broken phone to try and restrain his daughter's shoulders. "I know this is awful but…"_

"_You don't know anything!" She was red in the face as she screamed at her father. "You know nothing!" She ripped her IV out of her arm as she struggled against her father, blood splattering on the white sheets of the hospital bed._

"_Arizona you're going to hurt yourself!" Her mother shouted, her voice full of desperation. _

_The blonde continued to struggle, filled with rage about what had been done to her body. "I don't care! I want to die! I want to die!" She pulled hard against her father, using all her remaining strength to pull away. Breaking free of her father's grasp her extra momentum sent her tumbling out of the bed._

"_Arizona!" Both parents screamed as their daughter hit the floor, they heard her groan as her head smacked the floor._

The pediatric surgeon left the stairwell and was drawn out of her memory by the screaming she heard coming from the PICU. Picking up her pace she quickly made her way to Abbie's room. The scene was all too familiar. The blankets were thrown back and the little girl was kicking her remaining leg as she struggled against her parents. Her father was holding her arms, trying to keep her from hurting herself as she yelled at him to go away.

Arizona briefly saw the patient's mother crying in the corner of the room before she placed herself next to the father. The peds surgeon put her hand on Abbie's uninjured cheek, trying to direct the girl to look at her. "Abbie. Abbie look at me. My name is Arizona. I'm your doctor. I need you to talk to me, tell me what's wrong."

"You cut off my leg!" The girl was starting to hyperventilate as she screamed at the blonde doctor. "You cut it off!"

"I know. I am so sorry Abbie." She stroked the girl's chestnut hair, trying to calm her down. "It's awful and horrible and I am so sorry this happened to you. But I'm going to help you. You're going to be okay. It's all going to be okay." Arizona felt so bad for her young patient. The day she had woken up with one leg had been one of the most horrible days of her life. She could imagine how the little girl was feeling right now as panicky grey eyes stared up at her.

"You don't know that. You don't know! It won't be okay." She started to sob, her shoulders shaking as her eyes squeezed shut.

Arizona looked up, meeting the parents' eyes for a second. She saw the fear and sadness that was present. The same thing had been in her own parents' eyes every time the blonde had thrown something or yelled at them. She swallowed and looked back down at her patient, still resting her hand gently on the girl's cheek. "Abbie, look at me please." She waited until the watery grey eyes opened before she continued. "I do know alright. I know that it will be okay. I promise you that it will be okay."

"How do you know?" The little girl's voice was raw as she questioned the woman who was trying to calm her down.

Arizona gave her a soft, calming smile. "I know because I lost my leg too. Less than a year ago. And I was scared and in pain and I thought my life was over, but it wasn't. I promise you it gets better. I promise."

"You lost your leg too?" The voice was small and scared but no longer filled with anger. Beside her, Arizona felt the father relax his grip on his daughter as she stopped fighting.

The blonde nodded as she moved her hand to stroke the girl's hair. "I did. And I'm going to help you get through this." She saw the girl wince in pain as she nodded her head. "Can you tell me what hurts?"

"My leg. And my face and my belly." She sniffled as the tears started anew.

"I know. I know sweetheart." The peds surgeon replied gently as she subtly reached over and increased the dosage on the morphine drip. "You will start feeling better soon okay." Even as she said those last words, she saw Abbie's eyes start to drift close as the quick acting medicine took its effect. Once the little girl was asleep, Arizona straightened up and shoved her hands in her pockets as she looked at the parents. "I increased her pain medication. So she is sleeping. Tomorrow we will move her to the peds ward. Can I get you anything?"

Mr. Greer looked at his wife who shook her head, her eyes going back to her sleeping daughter.

The tall man cleared his throat as he placed his hand on his wife's back, rubbing it gently. "Thank you Dr. Robbins, for calming her down. But I don't think you should have lied to her and told her you had lost a leg too. What happens when she wakes up and finds out it's not true? I don't think it'll be good for her when she's already struggling so much."

The blonde nodded her head. She could understand where the man was coming from, a worried parent protecting his daughter. "Mr. Greer," she started as she stepped towards the couple, "I didn't lie to your daughter." She bent over and lifted her pant leg, hearing her patient's parents surprised intake of breath when they saw the metal limb. "I did lose my leg." She smoothed down the pant leg and straightened up. "About nine months ago and I understand how Abbie is feeling right now. It is all terrifying and she feels all alone even though you are here. I know I did. We tried so hard to save her leg, the decision to amputate did not come easily and it was only made after every single other option was exhausted. But please believe what I said in the waiting room. I will be here to help her." She sighed when her pager started to beep again. "I will come check on her again tomorrow when we move her into a pediatric bed." She read the message and silenced the alarm. "Again, I am so sorry for everything that has happened." She turned to leave and had made it to the doorway when she heard the father call her name.

"Dr. Robbins?"

She turned on her heel to face him, her hands still shoved in the pockets of her lab coat. "Yes sir?"

"Thank you for taking care of our little girl."

* * *

It had been a long and exhausting shift. From the argument with Stark in the OR, the devastating decision to amputate a teenager's leg, and the emotional meeting with her young patient to the exciting news she'd gotten in the Chief's office, Arizona had quite the rollercoaster ride of feelings today. And on top of all of that, there was Callie and their not so subtle flirting.

A small smile played on the blonde's lips as she stepped into Joe's, taking a seat at the bar. She had plans to meet Callie and Teddy here for a drink after their exhausting day. Arizona looked around the bar, for 2:00 am on a week day, the establishment was surprisingly crowded, and she did not see either of the other surgeons. Ordering and paying for her Riesling she smiled as her mental recap of her day replayed Callie's teasing booty shake. She recognized that these were not platonic thoughts, but she couldn't help it, Callie's ass was amazing. The blonde was still grinning as she took a sip of her wine, the smooth liquid sliding down her throat, warming her stomach.

She felt someone slide into the seat beside her. Thinking it was one of her friends, she turned, the happy look still on her face. That look was immediately wiped away as she recognized the person who was sitting on the stool. Dr. Stark, disheveled and obviously intoxicated was beside her, glaring at her, his eyes bloodshot, probably from the whiskey she could smell on his breath.

"You stupid cripple." He slurred as he leaned forward, invading her personal space.

The smell of liquor was so strong that it made the blonde's eyes water as she leaned back to distance herself from him. "Dr. Stark, you are drunk. You should…"

"Shut up!"

She jumped, startled by the sudden increase in volume.

"Just shut up. I lost my job because of you." The yelling surgeon was starting to attract an audience. "Webber should have fired you months ago. But no…the golden child of the hospital can't be fired. That would be discrimination." He butchered the last word, trying to get it out around a mouthful of whiskey as he took a swig from his glass.

Alarmed, the blonde tried to stand and get away from him but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Let go of me!"

He glared at her again. "Poor pitiful Arizona Robbins and her one leg. You know he only kept you around because he feels sorry for you." He maintained his iron grip on her arm as she tried to pull away. "You're nothing. No one will ever want…" He was cut off as a fist collided with his face.

Arizona quickly pulled away as the grip on her arm released. She grabbed onto the bar, her heart racing as she looked up to see who had gotten the drunk man off of her.

"Are you okay Robbins?" Alex asked as he shook out his hand, his knuckles bloodied from the blow.

She looked around, Stark was on the ground with Karev standing over him. Other bar patrons stood around, some pulling out their cellphones as someone mentioned calling the cops. Wide eyed, she nodded. "Yeah." Came her weak reply.

"I'm sorry Robbins, I didn't see him until he grabbed you."

"It's fine. I just um…" She raised her hand and turned to walk off, clearly shaken.

Alex watched her walk to the bathroom. When he turned back around he was face to face with a stunned Callie Torres.

The brunette gaped at the scene in front of her. She had heard the yelling as she walked into the bar, on her way to meet Arizona. When she made it to the counter, she saw Alex deck Stark and by the time she had edged her way through the crowd, Arizona had already dashed into the bathroom. "What…"

"Go. I got this." The resident gestured to the bathroom where the peds surgeon was taking refuge.

Callie mutely nodded, quickly pushing her way through the still gathered crowd. She pushed open the bathroom door and found the blonde resting against the sink, wiping at the makeup under her eyes. She closed the door behind her, leaning on it as she felt a sense of déjà vu, one of them crying at the sink while the other had followed them in to the dirty bar bathroom. "Hey." She whispered.

"Hey." Arizona quickly replied as she continued to try and fix her running makeup.

This greeting had happened before, only the roles were reversed. Despite what had just happened in the bar, Callie smiled softly as she remembered what had happened in this spot. This is where it had all began. She walked over, pressing herself against the blonde's back, resting a hand lightly on her hip. The moment she felt Arizona lean into her she remembered the next part of the conversation. The smile played at her lips as she leaned forward, her lips near Arizona's ear. "Peds right?" She whispered as blue eyes stared at her in the mirror.

The blonde felt an electric shock as Callie's breath hit her ear. "Yeah. Right. Hi." Came her breathless reply. She could feel the brunette's heart beating against her back and warmth radiated from every place Callie was touching her. The anger and hurt that had been filling her body started to dissipate as she leaned further into the other woman, desperate to increase contact. When she couldn't get enough, she turned and threw her arms around the taller woman, pulling them chest to chest. This is where they had met. This is where they had shared their first kiss. As all those happy memories flooded in they overpowered the memory of what had just happened in the bar.

Arizona maintained her grasp on the brunette as she felt Callie's hands rubbing soothing circles on her back. She felt like she was going to drown if she let go. She lifted her head off the brunette's shoulder, looking at her face to face. A smile found its way to her lips as she saw the raw emotion in the Latina's eyes. This is where it had started. She pressed her lips against Callie's, tasting the brunette for the first time in almost a year. When she felt the brunette deepen the kiss, she knew that this is where it was going to start again.

* * *

**And...Calzona time. Part VII will be their building relationship.**

**I hope you enjoyed this.**

**As always, please let me know what you think!**


	37. Part VII: Ch 1

**Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter. You guys are amazing. I'm glad you liked the reuse of the bathroom scene.**

**Just a heads up, I'm going to be busier than normal for a few weeks. It only takes me about 90 minutes to write and proof a chapter so I should be able to maintain at least a close to, if not the same pace for posting chapters as I have now (1/day). But if there does happen to be a day without an update, please don't worry. I am dedicated to this story and it will get done-even if I just have to give up an hour and a half of sleep.**

**Here is more flirty/romantic Calzona and the first breach of the body image issues (slight-more to come in the next chapter). Also, as a treat-because most people seem to like it, more Arizona/Sofia time (too cute). **

**Grey's Anatomy is not mine. Any mistakes are mine.**

* * *

_This is where it had started. She pressed her lips against Callie's, tasting the brunette for the first time in almost a year. When she felt the brunette deepen the kiss, she knew that this is where it was going to start again._

The kiss lasted until air became a necessity and they pulled away. Arizona looked up at the taller woman, giving a little laugh as her blue eyes filled with tears. They stood at arm's length for a second, staring at each other until the blonde pulled Callie back to her. She tucked her head under the woman's chin, feeling the brunette's heartbeat on her cheek.

Callie's hands grasped desperately at Arizona's shirt as she held them together. Her eyes were also filled with tears as she pulled her head back and peppered kisses on blonde hair. "You can't leave me ever again. I need you." She whispered, feeling the smaller woman nod against her chest. "I'm going to kiss you now. Okay?" She grinned as Arizona's head shot up, her eyes almost navy blue with desire. There was that slight nod again and Callie knew that the blonde wanted it just as much as she did. Tilting her head down, she captured the other woman's plump lips with her own. Arizona's hand flew up to the back of her head, her pale fingers tangling in dark locks as the kiss deepened. Callie wondered how she had lived without this for ten months as the blonde moaned against her mouth.

The two women only sprang apart when the door to the bathroom flew open. "Oh!" The newcomer started to chuckle as Callie and Arizona turned to face her, smoothing down their disheveled clothing. "Nice." Teddy stood in the doorway grinning as the other women started to blush. "I was coming to check on you Arizona, I heard what happened in the bar. But it looks like Callie's got you _all_ taken care of." She had that cat that caught the canary grin as the shorter blonde's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. "You know, I'm just going to leave you two alone now. Have fun." She turned to leave before spinning back around. "Oh. And maybe you should lock the door next time." The cardio surgeon winked as she backed out of the room.

"Oh my God." Arizona lowered her face into her hands, her cheeks burning from the blush.

Wrapping her arm around the petite woman's shoulders, Callie started to chuckle as Arizona leaned into her. "Why do I feel like we just got busted by our parents?"

Arizona laughed, resting her head on the taller woman. "Did this really just happen Calliope?"

Callie could understand Arizona's doubt, it all seemed so surreal...and amazing, and perfect. "It did." She kissed the blonde woman's head before resting her cheek against it. She relished in the feel of the other woman in her arms.

"So what happens now?"

Callie pulled away slightly, rubbing the other woman's back. "How about I take you home and you get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow alright?" She asked gently. "Let's take it slow. Do it right."

Arizona smiled and nodded. "Slow sounds good." She slipped her hand into Callie's as the two walked out of the bathroom. They passed the bar where a police officer was taking Alex's statement and Stark was nowhere to be seen. They had almost made it to the door when another police officer stopped them.

"Dr. Robbins, could I have a word?"

Callie protectively wrapped her arm around the smaller woman's shoulders. "Officer…" She read his name tag. "Mills. Arizona will be at the hospital tomorrow at 3pm for her shift. You can talk to her then. You can understand that she's upset about what happened tonight. Plus you will need to talk to the Chief of Surgery anyways regarding Dr. Stark because he can give you some information that will put the events of tonight into better context."

The officer nodded and handed the blonde a card with his name on it. "If you need anything before tomorrow."

Pocketing the card she nodded her thanks before letting Callie steer her out of the bar.

"Your car is still at my place. Do you want me to take you to get it or do you just want me to take you home?" The brunette opened the door of her SUV, giving Arizona a hand up into the passenger seat.

"You can just take me home if you'll pick me up tomorrow before work." She smiled shyly, buckling her seatbelt as Callie rested against the door frame, smiling back at her. These butterflies in her stomach were not something that she had felt in a long time.

Callie nodded, leaning in to steal another kiss. It was just a light one but it left both women grinning as they pulled away. Wordlessly the brunette closed the passenger door and went around to the driver's side. Getting in, she started the car before reaching over to grab Arizona's hand. As she did, her knuckles made a clunking sound against the hard plastic of the blonde's thigh.

This was a familiar position; Callie driving, with their hands intertwined in Arizona's lap but the last time they been like this, the blonde's lap was warm and soft. Now it was cold and hard, made up of the plastic socket that extended up to her groin, encasing the few remaining inches of flesh. She felt Arizona squeeze her hand tightly before moving their clasped hands up onto the arm rest of the chair. Before she started to drive, she looked at the blonde who just gave her a soft smile, squeezing her hand again. What worried the brunette, as she pulled out of the parking lot into traffic, was the sad edge to smile that hadn't been there before.

Arizona had moved their hands automatically when she felt the brunette's knuckles rap against her leg. It had been instinctual, a protection mechanism. No one touched Arizona's leg unless it was for medical reasons and by default that meant no one touched her prosthetic either. This was a new experience for her. The contact, however accidental, had occurred during a romantic gesture and she didn't quite know how to react so she left their hands intertwined as far from her leg as she could get them.

Her leg hadn't even crossed her mind when she kissed Callie in the bathroom. All she had felt in that instance was joy and love. It was the feeling that she hadn't had in such a long time. But, as soon as her leg came to the forefront of her mind, that cloud of doubt that accompanied it fogged her brain. She remembered what she had said to Mark in Callie's ICU room a couple months ago. It was stupid of her to assume that Callie could even want her in the body she had now. Could she? Was that even possible?

They rode in silence for several minutes. The brunette looked at her sadly out of the corner of her eye as they stopped at a red light. Arizona had been so happy until now and it broke her heart. "What's the matter?" She asked gently, already in tune with the blonde's mood.

Surprised by the question and not wanting to delve into the reasons for her insecurity, the blonde turned to face the driver. "I'm alright." She brought Callie's hand up to her lips, kissing it before letting go as they turned into her neighborhood. "I love you Calliope and I just don't want to screw this up." When the vehicle parked in front of her condo, she unbuckled her seatbelt and put her hand on the door handle.

"I love you too. And we won't screw it up." A gentle voice stopped the blonde from exiting the SUV. She felt Callie's hand on her shoulder, rubbing it gently. "We're going to do this right Arizona. We have a lot to talk about and work out, but I'm committed to making it work." Callie got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, opening Arizona's door and helping the petite woman down from the massive vehicle. She tucked a blonde lock of hair behind Arizona's ear before embracing the woman again. "We can do this."

* * *

An emergency surgery had called the pediatric surgeon into work six hours before her shift was scheduled to start which meant that she had taken a cab to work instead of riding in with the brunette she had been looking forward to see. She didn't have long to be disappointed though because as soon as she scrubbed in and walked into the OR her patient's appendix had exploded. She and Lexie Grey had then spent the next three hours cleaning out a four year-old's abdomen. Scrubbing out after the surgery, she felt her adrenaline rush start to die as she realized that she had only gotten about four hours of sleep the night prior.

Walking into the OR hallway, she yawned loudly, covering her mouth and blushing when someone started to laugh behind her. She whirled around to see Teddy heading towards OR2. Arizona knew what the cardio surgeon was thinking. Her best friend probably assumed that the shorter blonde was exhausted because nighttime activities with a certain brunette. "Get your mind out of the gutter Teddy." Arizona grouched at her as the still laughing surgeon held onto the doorjamb, leaning out into the hall. "We talked and we went to bed. Separately in our own homes. And then I got called in early. So I'm tired."

Teddy stopped laughing and walked back out of the scrub room, wrapping her arms around her pouting friend. "Okay okay." She placated as Arizona returned the hug. "I'm just happy for you. That's all." She kissed her temple before releasing the shorter woman and smiling at her again. "Okay, I'm going to go save a life now…or kill Cristina Yang who has officially entered the rabid dog stage in the race for chief resident. So you go get some sleep if you can."

Arizona gave a small laugh, chuckling as she waived her off. "Bye Teddy. Try not to kill the residents." She hit the call button for the elevator, shoving her hands in her pockets as she stepped into the car. Riding up to the peds department, she stepped out, walking to the nurses' station, a grin on her face as she looked around the department she was now in charge of once again. "Hey Karev." She leaned over the desk, watching her resident type on the computer. "How's your hand?" She looked at the steri-strips on his knuckles

"It's fine." He didn't look up at her as he continued typing. "You doing alright?"

Arizona grinned, for someone who tried to portray himself as a badass, Alex Karev was one of the most kind-hearted, loyal people she knew. "I'm good. Thank you Alex, for everything yesterday."

This time he did stop what he was doing to look up at her. "Of course. I'm just glad I was there, when else would I have gotten the opportunity to clock the bastard?"

The blonde pursed her lips. She knew she should disapprove of his comment but it was hard. Stark's grip had left a bruise on her arm and his words had been hurtful so while she didn't normally condone violence, she was not about to reprimand the young man that had just defended her.

He gave a cocky smile, knowing exactly what Arizona was thinking. "Yes, I know. Violence isn't the answer. I'm getting better. He had it coming though." He grabbed the charts off the desk, dropping them onto the counter where the blonde was leaning. "Okay boss. Your appendix kid is going to 2344 after post-op. You had two sisters admitted for observation after a car accident last night. They're in 2317. The pre-op gastric stimulator patient is in 2320, you operate on him tomorrow at noon. And your girl from yesterday, Abbie something, she just got brought down from the PICU to room 2349." He pointed to the room just across from the nurses' station.

"Abbie Greer." Arizona picked her chart out of the stack, opening it up to check the report from the PICU nurse before peaking over her shoulder towards the room.

"Yeah. Anyways, they've all been vitalized, pre-op kid and this one," he tapped Abbie's chart, "have had their blood work done and sent to lab. Lexie can do appendix boy's…"

"John Nelson." Arizona corrected automatically, she wasn't exactly a fan of how Alex referred to patients in private conversation but she never really reprimanded him for it because he was good with the kids.

"Okay. Lexie can do his blood work when he gets up here. Everyone's stable, I'm going to lunch." He pushed himself away from the desk and stood, taking a few steps down the hall before turning back to face his boss with a genuine grin. "Oh and Robbins?"

"Yeah?" She looked over her shoulder at him.

"It's good to have you in charge again." He turned and walked off before she could reply, leaving her to chuckle to herself as she turned back to the charts in front of her

She flipped through the notes in Abbie's chart, reading the vitals that had been documented just thirty minutes prior, until she felt someone walk up behind her. Spinning around, she found herself face to face with Callie and Sofia. The latter was riding in a baby carrier on her mother's chest. When Sofia saw the blonde she let out a loud squeal, kicking her little legs as she reached forward.

Both women laughed as Callie gestured for Arizona to lift the infant out of the carrier. The blond did so and cuddled the baby close to her chest. "Hi little miss. I just saw you yesterday and you're already bigger. How are you bigger? Hi!" She grinned at the little girl, laughing when tiny fingers latched onto her necklace. Arizona let her play with the pendant as she looked up to the child's mother. "Hey." The smile stayed on her lips when she saw the odd look on the brunette's face. "Are you alright?"

The look morphed into a grin. "Sorry. Sorry you are just so good with her and I love watching you both. I may have zoned out there for a second." The brunette chuckled as she gave Arizona a gentle hug, leaving the infant pressed between them. "I'm sorry I didn't get to drive you in this afternoon. Are you tired?" The feeling of having both her child and the woman she loved in her arms made her heart swell. This is how it always should have always been and she prayed that this is where they would get one day, hopefully soon.

"I'm doing alright. Coffee." Arizona explained as Callie stepped back. The peds surgeon began to bounce Sofia in her arms. "Did you sleep well? I thought Mark was taking her to daycare this morning." She looked back down at the giggling infant. This little girl looked exactly like her mother and Arizona couldn't help but love her.

"Yeah. No I had him bring her back this morning so we could come visit you before I have surgery." She smiled as she watched her daughter and the blonde interact. "I'll meet you for dinner tonight if you want. And we can talk?"

Arizona nodded, passing the child back to her mother. "I'd like that." She watched Callie put Sofia back in the carrier and she reached out to hold the little girl's plump hand. "Bye miss Sofia." She looked up at the brunette, her eyes sparkling. "Bye Calliope."

Hearing her full name come from the blonde's lips, Callie couldn't help it when the grin that had been plastered on her face grew even wider. She leaned forward, placing a kiss on the blonde's forehead, before squeezing her hand and stepping away. "Bye Arizona." She saw the blonde's smile widen too and chuckled when she saw the pale cheeks redden in a blush. She picked up Sofia's little hand and waved it at the pediatric surgeon too before turning around and walking back down the hall.

Arizona's heart raced as she let out a little laugh. They were like flirting school girls.

Things still felt easy and fun, but even so, there was a lot to talk about. The two biggest things in the blonde's mind were Sofia, and the leg. Arizona loved Sofia, there was no doubt about that, but how would a baby, especially Mark Sloan's child, affect a relationship? She'd worry about that later she decided as she leaned back against the desk, absentmindedly facing into the hall as her thoughts jumped to the other elephant in the room. Arizona had gone to bed with doubts last night. Could Callie really love her in the body she had now? She'd like to believe so, but she didn't know for certain. Like they said, there was _a lot _to discuss. But having the brunette come back this morning and flirt with her again, it definitely helped to lessen Arizona's doubts. And as she thought back to the steamy kiss they had shared last night, she knew that there was much hope for them. She laughed again to herself when she realized that she wasn't going to be able to wipe the silly grin off her face anytime soon.

* * *

**I'm planning on more Arizona/Abbie interaction in the next chapter as well as more fluffy Calzona and then their talk (one of their talks, they'll probably need more than one).**

**If there's anything you want to see, let me know. Angst and drama is easier to write than romance so I'm struggling a little bit :-/**

**Please let me know what you think! I appreciate it a lot.**


	38. Part VII: Ch 2

**This chapter has a couple things people asked for so I hope it doesn't disappoint.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

After Arizona finished her charting, she rounded on her patients. The pediatric surgeon discharged the two girls who had been kept for observation after a car accident, with the instruction that they were to come back if any of their aches and pains got worse and she checked on her patient whose appendix she'd removed that morning. As she finished her rounds of the peds ward she circled back to the nurses' station, ending at the room of Abbie Greer, her thirteen year-old amputation patient. Knocking lightly on the door, she entered, plastering a smile on her face as she approached the girl in the bed and her parents. "How are you feeling Abbie?" She looked over all the monitors, reading the patient's vitals before looking at her.

The young girl gazed up at her, her face red and puffy from crying. There were bruises marring the pale skin of her forehead and left cheek where Sloan had done his surgical repair yesterday. "I'm sleepy." She said quietly.

Arizona nodded understandingly. "You're going to feel that way for a few days. Does anything hurt?" She raised the girl's gown to check the surgical site on her abdomen. Noting no erythema or signs of infection she replaced the dressing and tucked her patient back in.

Abbie shook her head. "Not right now."

"Good. That's good." Arizona spoke quietly as she brushed the little girl's bangs out of her eyes. "Why don't you sleep. I'll come back and check on you in a few hours okay?" She started to walk over to talk to the parents before a quiet voice called out to her.

"Arizona? Can I see it?" The blonde turned back to the patient in the bed who continued to speak in a soft voice. "Can I see your leg?" Pleading grey eyes looked up at her, in need of some sort of beacon of hope.

The pediatric surgeon paused, sharing private aspects of her life with patients was not something she made a habit of. Though she had kind of already crossed that line yesterday when she told Abbie about her leg. She considered the pros and cons of opening up more to the little girl. Thinking back to her own recovery she realized that having someone who understood what she was going through from the beginning would have been helpful. On day two post-amputation Arizona had screamed and cried and refused to eat until the surgeon sedated her at the request of her parents. All things considered, Abbie was handling this _much_ better than she had. And though she had apologized to her own parents numerous times, the blonde still felt a little ashamed of her behavior during what she referred to as the 'dark days.'

Arizona looked towards Mr. and Mrs. Greer, silently asking permission. When she got a nod from the father, she pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down. She leaned over and began to roll up her left pant leg, exposing the prosthetic up to her knee. Sitting back, her hands folded in her lap, the blonde was quiet as the girl carefully studied the metal contraption. Abbie looked like she was about to fall asleep, but Arizona could tell that she needed a few things before she'd be able to get any rest.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Of course." Arizona answered gently. She left the pant leg rolled up and gave the girl a small smile.

"How did it happen?"

Arizona swallowed, she looked up at the parents before continuing. "A plane I was in crashed. I broke my leg and the doctors had to cut it off to save my life."

"Just like me." Came her sleepy reply.

"Just like you."

She yawned, raising a hand to rub at her eyes while she struggled to stay awake. "Where does your leg stop?"

Unclasping her hands, the peds surgeon tapped the spot high up on her thigh where her leg ended within the socket. "Right here. Your leg is a lot longer than mine which will make walking easier when you get your prosthetic."

"That's good." Abbie replied softly with another yawn, her eyes started to drift shut as her mother sat on the edge of the hospital bed, stroking her hair.

"It's good." Arizona whispered as the girl fell asleep. She leaned over and rolled down her pant leg before standing up and addressing the parents. "I'll be back to check on her in a few hours." She started to leave the room, her hands shoved in the pockets of her lab coat. She'd almost made it back to the nurses' station when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Abbie's mom looking up at her. "Mrs. Greer, hi. Is there anything that you need?"

"No. I just wanted to say thank you. That probably wasn't easy for you to do. And I know sharing things like that is not your duty as a doctor. But I think you helped her a lot."

A small smile played at the blonde's lips. That's all she had wanted to do. "I'm glad. But I'd recommend you get her started with a counselor as soon as possible. On top of the loss of her leg, she will also be dealing with PTSD from the shooting. I'll be here to help in any way that I can, but I am not a licensed therapist. However it's good to know that children do tend to deal with loss better than adults. They adapt and overcome quicker and I have no doubt that she will be just fine but there are two sides to healing in a situation like this. The physical and the mental and trust me when I say that the mental effects of a trauma are much harder to recover from than any physical injury."

* * *

They were supposed to meet for dinner at 9:00 but as surgeons, they knew that plans couldn't always be kept. After Callie's one scheduled surgery, she had been on her way to daycare to pick up Sofia when her pager started to angrily beep. There had been an explosion at a power plant just outside of Seattle and there were many victims with extremity traumas and burns. By the time she got out of her second operation, it was already 8:30 pm and she was being paged to OR 3 for an arm crush injury. Groaning, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to the blonde pediatric surgeon that she was courting, letting her know that they would need to reschedule. Arizona had responded quickly, saying that it was alright and that Callie could stop by the peds ward if she was done before 1:00 am.

The brunette prayed that she would be done by that time. It was a godsend that the daycare would keep Sofia until then because both her parents had been called into operations, but Callie hated not getting to put the little girl down for bed. She sighed, scrubbing in before striding into OR 3. She was surprised to see Mark already in the OR before she smelled the distinct odor of burnt flesh and knew that the plastic surgeon had likely been treating burns all day. "What have we got?" She asked, stepping into the gown proffered by the scrub nurse.

"One arm is a pancake, the other is charcoal." Sloan answered without turning around. He sat on a stool near the patient's blackened arm, using forceps to peel away charred flesh.

Callie sighed as she walked over to look at the arm she'd be working on. "This is a mess." She started to palpate the mangled extremity. "You know, I wasn't supposed to be on call today. Scalpel." She held her hand out for the metal instrument. "Then some power plant has to blow up cause of faulty wiring."

"Well, it's the price you pay when you're the best." Mark pulled off another piece of charred skin, dropping it into a basin that was already full of blackened flesh.

She grumbled as she made her opening incision. "I was supposed to get to spend the day with Sofia and then have a nice dinner with Arizona. I did not plan on having to rebuild an arm today." She looked at the broken bones and then back towards the interns in the corner of the room. "I'm going to need wiring, traction pins, and whatever metal you can find. Whoever gets back first can scrub in and assist. I'll even let you hold the drill." She paused as the three scared interns stared back at her, unmoving. "Go."

They scampered off as Sloan chuckled. "You're really upset about missing this dinner. So you and Blondie huh? Are you sure she won't break your heart again?"

Callie glared at him over her mask as she cleared muscle away from pulverized bone. "Shut up Mark. I don't give you grief for chasing after Lexie Grey like a lost puppy so you of all people should not be giving me a hard time. I'm in love with her. And she loves me and we are going to take it slow but I know it's going to work this time."

"Okay okay." Mark said defensively as he started to irrigate the raw flesh that he had exposed on the patient's arm. "What about Sofia though. You've got a kid now. Plus Robbins has issues of her own you know." He stood and gestured for one of the nurses to dress the man's wounds.

"Mark." Callie said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Stop talking about her. It is none of your business what she and I have to talk about. That is between me and Arizona. Now, if you're done here there's a whole bunch of people with burns in the pit. You can go make yourself useful." She looked back down at her work, effectively ending the conversation.

The plastic surgeon growled in frustration, "Fine." He ripped off his gown and gloves, angrily shoving them in the trashcan as he stalked out of the room.

Callie sighed as she looked up at the clock after the grumpy man had left. 9:04. She looked back to the arm. "This is so not what I wanted to be doing right now."

* * *

Callie finished operating just after midnight. She had one more procedure that had been added to her docket but right now she found herself with a short break before she had to scrub in. Scrubbing out of the arm reconstruction as quickly as possible, she sprinted up to the peds ward, skidding to a stop in front of Arizona's office.

The blonde looked up in surprise when she heard the screech of rubber shoes on tile. There, in her doorway, stood an out of breath Callie Torres. Arizona couldn't help but laugh at the surgeon's red face and wild hair. Pushing herself out of her desk chair, she walked towards the still panting woman, wrapping her arms around her before placing a kiss on her cheek. "I think you could have walked here you know. I said I wasn't leaving until 1:00." She winked before pulling the taller woman over to her couch. They sat down, the blonde curling her right leg under her as she sat sideways on the couch, her head propped up on her hand as she grinned at the orthopedic surgeon.

Callie grinned back, having finally caught her breath. "I'm sorry we didn't get to do dinner. I was really looking forward to it."

"Me too." Arizona said softly. "But, how bout a snack." She pushed herself up, walking to the mini fridge in the corner of her office.

Callie frowned as she noticed a slight limp. It had been a very busy few days, "Are you alright Arizona?"

The woman in question turned around with two yogurts in her hands, a bright smile on her face. "Yeah." She tossed Callie one of the containers before walking back over with spoons. Peeling the lid off her treat, she licked the strawberry yogurt off the top as she curled back up on the couch.

The brunette smiled as she opened her own. Strawberry shampoo, strawberry yogurt, for the past ten months every time she crossed the fruit she thought about the blonde. But now she didn't need the reminder when she was finally getting back together with the woman she dreamed about. As she looked back towards the blonde she couldn't help it as her smile widened. "You've got a little…" She gestured to her face.

"Here?" Arizona smiled and wiped at her cheek, missing the yogurt completely.

"No." Callie laughed, leaning forward. "Here, let me help you." She kissed the corner of her mouth, licking away the strawberry cream. "Mmm." She placed her hand on Arizona's hip, sliding closer as she moved her lips onto the blonde's. "I like this snack." She kissed her again.

"Me too." Arizona murmured in between pecks, she closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the brunette's. She felt Callie's fist kneed her hip before her hand started to slide to her thigh. Reaching down, the blonde grabbed the tanned hand and moved it back to her waist before Callie could touch her prosthetic.

The movement did not go unnoticed by the brunette. "Arizona." She breathed, her forehead still pressed against the other woman's. "Let me love you." She pleaded, her eyes closed as she felt the blonde's warm breath on her face.

It was amazing how quickly the mood could change. From fun and flirty to insecure this was one of the many topics they needed to address. "I…I…" Arizona stuttered, lifting her head so that she could look at Callie. Every time. Every time she was so close and the damned leg got in the way. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears threatened to leak out. What could she do? Callie made her feel so loved, but at the same time her own body made her feel so unloveable. "How can you?"

"Oh." Callie's voice cracked with a whimper, her heart ached as she grabbed the blonde's cheeks, pulling her in for a deep kiss. "You are so beautiful." She moved one hand from Arizona's cheek and rested it on the prosthetic. "Look."

Watery blue eyes blinked open and the peds surgeon sucked in a sharp breath when she saw Callie's hand squeezing the plastic socket through navy scrubs. "Callie don't…"

"Arizona, I love you. This doesn't change that. I know we have a lot to work through and your leg, its just one of those things. Please let me help you." She looked at her desperately, praying that the blonde wouldn't shut down. "I will not hurt you. Let me in." She stroked a pale cheek with her thumb, her brown eyes imploring the blonde to believe her.

_Let me love you_. Callie's words echoed in her head, interrupting her self-loathing. _Let me love you. _Why was it so damn hard? Kissing Callie was easy, the light touches, the embraces, it was all natural. But as soon as there was any contact with her leg, it was like a switch flipped and everything shut down. While she pondered this, Arizona became aware of the fact that the brunette was speaking again.

"I don't expect you to believe me in a day." Callie slipped her hand into Arizona's delicate one, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Just let me try."

Her words sounded so genuine, so sweet and sincere. Arizona could find no malice and no hidden repulsion on the brunette's face, nothing to indicate that her words were spoken out of anything but love. "O-okay." She lay her hand on top of the one that still rested on her prosthetic. "Okay." Her voice held a little more power the second time as she nodded, seeing a smile spread on Callie's face.

Callie leaned in and stole another kiss. Just as their lips touched her alarm went off, reminding her about her next surgery. She groaned and pulled away to see Arizona's lips morph into a pout. "I know. Sloan, Hunt, and I will be going all night. This day off has clearly not worked out the way I planned."

The blonde rubbed her arm sympathetically. "If you and Sloan are both here, where is Sofia?"

"She's still in daycare."

It only took a split second for Arizona to make up her mind. "I could take home. So she can sleep in her own bed. I'll stay until you get back." She was surprised at how easily the offer came.

Callie's eyes lit up at the offer. She also seemed surprised, "Are you sure? That'd be amazing Arizona." When she got a dimpled grin in response she leaned in so that her face was inches from the blonde's. "I," _kiss_, "love,"_ kiss_, "you," _kiss._ Three kisses in quick succession were placed Arizona's lips before Callie rose from the couch. "I'll call the daycare and let them know you're picking her up. My keys are in my bag in the lounge. Is your first surgery at noon?" She wasn't going to admit it, but she had memorized the peds surgeon's schedule.

Arizona nodded, rising from the couch when Callie offered her a hand. She still had that silly grin on her face from the brunette's last 'I love you.'

"Okay, then I want to do breakfast with you tomorrow. We can continue our conversation then. You can take the SUV if you want, Sofia's car seat is in there. Or if you want to walk, her carrier is in her diaper bag." Strangely Callie didn't have the new mom jitters that came with leaving your child with someone else. But before she could contemplate that sensation any longer her pager started to beep as someone, somewhere reminded her that she needed to be in surgery. "I know!" She yelled at the electronic box, looking back up when she heard the blonde's happy giggle.

"Go Calliope. I got this." Arizona leaned in and stole one more kiss before grabbing the orthopedic surgeon's shoulders and turning her around to steer her out of the office. She gave the taller woman a pat on the butt to get her started down the hall.

Callie smiled and started walking, briefly looking back over her shoulder. "I love you. See you in the morning."

"I love you too."

* * *

**Well that's domestic. More talking to come. Ideas would be really appreciated because I struggled a little while writing this chapter.**

**Please let me know what you think.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat.**


	39. Part VII: Ch 3

**Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter. Some of you gave me the idea for the events of this chapter. So thank you so much. I think this may be one of my favorite chapters yet so I really hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Arizona kissed the head of the sleeping infant as she stepped into the elevator in Callie's apartment complex. Choosing to walk over instead of operating the brunette's behemoth of a vehicle, Arizona had Sofia strapped to her chest in the infant carrier. When they arrived on the 5th floor, she let herself into apartment 502 as quietly as possible so she did not wake the little girl. She walked into the dark apartment, setting the diaper bag and her purse down by the door before heading towards what used to be Cristina's room. The room that had once been a cluttered disaster zone was now a neatly organized nursery and Arizona was shocked to see that the walls were now a soft yellow instead of the "frowny" grey tones that they had been when she'd lived there.

She smiled as she looked around the happy space. Callie really loved her daughter and she was a natural at being a mom, Arizona could see it every time she watched the mother and daughter interact. Carefully unhooking the sleeping infant from the carrier, the blonde cradled her in her arms as she walked to the dresser. Pulling out a red onesie, she walked back over to the changing table and laid down the still slumbering baby. She paused, Arizona had no nieces or nephews and the last time she'd changed a baby, she was babysitting while she was still in high school. Sure, she undressed patients all the time when she examined them in the pit. But changing their clothes while they were sleeping…that was a whole 'nother ballgame. "Uhh…" She said out loud, chewing her lip as she carefully undressed Sofia, trying her hardest to not wake her up. '_I am a pediatric surgeon for crying out loud. I can put a onesie on a baby.'_ It wasn't the smoothest clothing change, but apparently Sofia had inherited her mother's sleeping habits which in this situation was a godsend. After feeling that the girl's diaper was still dry, she gently laid her down in her crib. Leaning on the railing, she smiled, "You look good in red. Just like your mom. Good night little miss." She turned on the baby monitor and turned off the light before leaving the room.

Her next stop was in Callie's room. This room did look the same as it had when she lived here. The only difference was the pictures. The dresser no longer sported the photograph of Callie and Arizona kissing on the bow of a ferry boat and the nightstand that had been Arizona's was bare. The pictures of Tim and her parents that used to reside there were now on the bedside table in her new condo several miles away. She started to sigh but it turned into a yawn and she realized just how tired she was. Arizona hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and after being in the hospital for sixteen hours because of her early call-in, she was beat. She briefly thought about lying down on the bed before nixing the idea. Callie and Arizona were on the road to rekindled romance, but they weren't even officially dating and the blonde didn't think it would be appropriate for her to take the other woman's bed. Even though it was one she was _very_ familiar with.

Grabbing the other baby monitor off of Callie's nightstand, she walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. She considered taking her prosthetic off before remembering that she had no crutches here and if Sofia needed anything it would take her too long to get the limb back on. Plus Callie should only be gone for a few hours at the most. She could leave it on, she decided as she set the monitor down on the couch beside her. She stretched her legs out in front of her, reclining back against the throw pillows as she closed her eyes.

It felt like seconds later when she was startled awake by screaming coming through the baby monitor. Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair and checked her watch, realizing she'd actually been asleep for a little more than an hour. She pushed herself up off the couch and walked as fast as she could into the nursery. Picking up the screaming infant, she could smell right away the reason for Sofia's discontent. "Oh I know." She scrunched up her nose, making a funny face at the little girl as she carried her over to the changing table. "Having a wet bottom is no fun is it. Tell me about it." She continued talking gently to the baby as Sofia continued to scream.

Arizona quickly changed her diaper, and picked her up, bouncing her gently. "Yeah, that's all better. Isn't it? All dry." She pressed a kiss against black hair as Sofia started to sniffle and settle down. "I know. We don't like wet diapers do we little miss. Huh?" She made a few more laps around the room until the baby had quieted in her arms. Thinking that Sofia was ready to go back to sleep, Arizona walked back over to the crib and laid her down. But, as soon as she released the infant, the screams started anew so the blonde quickly picked her back up and held her close to her chest, resuming her path around the room. "What's wrong little miss? Do you miss your mom? She'll be home soon I promise."

Sofia was once again silent as she rested her head against Arizona's warm chest. After a few minutes of quiet, the blonde tried to lay her down again with the same result. She sighed and once again scooped the baby back up, walking back into the living room. "I guess you just want to cuddle huh? I don't blame you. It's always nice to have someone hold you." She sank back down onto the couch, reclining as she let the infant lay across her chest. Within seconds, soft snores were coming out of Sofia's tiny mouth and Arizona couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay. I guess we can sleep here." She placed another kiss on the little girl's head before leaning her own head back against the couch cushions. She blinked her tired eyes, fighting to stay awake, but her efforts were futile and she was asleep within seconds.

* * *

Callie quietly entered her apartment. The room was dark, but she could see Sofia's diaper bag and Arizona's purse by the door. As she looked up, the light from the hallway illuminated a sight that made her heart melt. Arizona sat reclined on the couch, her head leaning on her shoulder as Sofia lay across her chest. Even in sleep, the blonde's hands protectively held the infant and Sofia had some of the fabric from Arizona's shirt bunched up in her little fist.

Before she could say something, Callie saw Arizona start to lift her head, sleepily opening her eyes. Ever the light sleeper, Callie figured the light from the hall most have woken the blonde. "Hey." She whispered, a smile still present on her face. She stepped out of the doorway, leaving the door open as she sat down on the coffee table across from them.

"Hey." Arizona replied softly with a yawn. She sat up slightly, cradling the still sleeping baby close to her chest.

"Could she not sleep?" Callie asked as she reached out and stroked Sofia's soft hair.

Arizona shook her head. "She woke up around 2:30 and just wanted to be held. I fell asleep too I guess."

The brunette chuckled quietly, "You must be exhausted. Come on, let me…" Anything else she was going to say was cut off as the lights snapped on.

Blinking rapidly against the sudden assault of light, both women looked towards the doorway, greeted by the sight of Mark Sloan.

"Your door was open. I just wanted to see…" He stopped when he registered the two women. One was the mother of his child, the other was her ex. "Seriously Callie?" There was an aggravated edge to his tone as he raised his voice.

Arizona furrowed her brow, feeling the infant start stir in her arms. She looked down at the baby as Callie stood and approached the other surgeon. "What Mark?" She snapped.

"You almost read me the riot act last week when I had someone over during my night with Sofia. Yet here you are." He gestured from Callie to Arizona, the latter of whom was still cuddling the baby.

Callie quickly looked behind her towards the pair as Sofia started to emit upset noises. She couldn't help but smile when she heard the blonde whispering calming words, trying to console the baby in her arms. The smile was quickly wiped off her face when she looked back at Mark. "Mark, we're all tired and you're blowing everything out of proportion here."

"No, I'm…"

Callie raised a finger to cut him off, "Okay one, Arizona did us a favor. She brought Sofia home so that she could sleep in her own house because you and I were not getting off until 4:00am. And two, I read you the so called 'riot act'," she made air quotes, "because you have a different girl in and out of your apartment each night. Remember we are supposed to be creating a stable home environment for our daughter despite the split household?"

"How is this stable!" He waved his hand around, indicating the three females. "You aren't even dating." His raised voice continued to disturb his daughter who started to scream in Arizona's arms.

Once again, Callie turned to look at the pair. The blonde's head was still lowered, looking towards the baby so Callie couldn't read her expression. She watched as the petite woman rose from the couch, still clutching Sofia close to her chest. The brunette winced as she heard the quiver in the ped surgeon's voice as Arizona continued murmuring words of comfort to the disgruntled infant. She heard the blonde clear her throat.

"Uh…I'm going to take her to the nursery. See if I can get her back to sleep." Arizona mentally berated herself as her voice cracked. She started to limp towards the nursery, stopping after a few steps. She slowed her stride and focused on making her steps as steady as possible, biting down at her lip as the prosthetic started to rub and pinch uncomfortably on her inner thigh. After several more painful but balanced steps she was in the nursery, closing the door behind her.

Callie's heart broke as she watched the blonde retreat, she spun around and marched over to the glaring plastic surgeon. Jabbing her finger into the center of her chest she shouted, "How dare you! Arizona _has_ been a constant in Sofia's life so don't go on about stability. Don't you dare forget who started our daughter's heart Mark! I love her and our relationship is none of your business. Did you not just see how badly you hurt her feelings? You defended her in the OR the other day and now, you stand here practically insulting her. What is it with you! You're taking out your frustrations on someone who has done nothing wrong to you. I know you're upset that Lexie wants nothing to do with you, but sleeping your way around the hospital and interfering with _my_ relationship with the woman _I_ love is not going to make Little Grey come back to you. Now get out of my apartment!" She stepped closer to him, edging him out of the apartment before shutting the door in his face.

The apartment was silent…Callie realized that Sofia was no longer crying. She turned on the spot to see Arizona standing in the doorway of the nursery. Her heart broke further as she looked at the blonde. "Arizona…"

"She's um…she's sleeping again." Arizona pointed behind her, into the silent room. "I should get going." She walked as quickly as she could towards the door, her head still lowered. Her gait was a heavy limp as she no longer tried to control her steps. Reaching the door, she picked up her purse and grabbed for the handle.

"Arizona, wait!" Callie reached out and caught her arm.

As she was pulled to a sudden stop, the blonde was thrown off balance. An involuntary _woah_ escaped from her lips as she started to fall backwards, her arms flailing.

Automatically reaching out, Callie caught the falling woman, stopping her descent. "Oh." She whimpered as teary blue eyes stared up at her. "Arizona…" Her voice was quiet, her strong arms still supporting the diminutive blonde as her eyes searched the pale face. Leaning down she pressed her lips against Arizona's before helping her stand upright. "I am so sorry." She didn't take her hands off the blonde's shoulders.

Arizona's lip found its way between her teeth for several seconds before she opened her mouth as tears spilled onto her cheeks. "I heard what you said Callie. You have nothing to apologize for." She raised a hand to dry her cheeks. "I'll see you later okay." She tried to pull away, her hand once again reaching for the doorknob.

"No." Callie shook her head. "No. Don't go. Please. _Please_." She pressed her lips to the blonde's forehead and pulled her into an embrace as her eyes started to water. "I need you to stay." Callie released her from the embrace, but rested her hands on the smaller woman's shoulders, rubbing them up and down her upper arms. "Please."

* * *

**A cliffy. What happens next?**

**Please let me know what you think!**


	40. Part VII: Ch 4

**Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. The cliff hanger seemed to directly split those of you who reviewed. Obviously I can only take the path that half of you suggested, but I still hope the other half will be pleased with the developments of this chapter.**

**This chapter almost didn't get written. A huge thank you to Duvetsnuggler for providing me with the motivation I needed to jog my brain and get this written. That being said, I don't think there will be an update tomorrow because I have several things that I need to get prepared for Thursday. But who knows, I may surprise you and get something written. If not, there should be an update Thursday night (which really means the wee hours of Friday).**

**The usual notes: Grey's Anatomy isn't mine. The mistakes are mine.**

**Without much further ado, here is the next chapter-picks up right where the last left off (see italics).**

* * *

_"No." Callie shook her head. "No. Don't go. Please. Please." She pressed her lips to the blonde's forehead and pulled her into an embrace as her eyes started to water. "I need you to stay." Callie released her from the embrace, but rested her hands on the smaller woman's shoulders, rubbing them up and down her upper arms. "Please."_

The silence felt unbearable as Callie waited for the other woman to respond. She continued to rub Arizona's arms as she studied the woman's face, praying that she wouldn't leave. It was clear that the blonde was conflicted as she stared mutely at the Latina.

An internal war raged in Arizona's mind. Part of her wanted to stay. This was the part of her that had enjoyed her late night snack with Callie, the part of her that bonded with Sofia and loved having the sleeping infant on her chest. She had heard every word that Callie had said to Mark, and having the brunette defend her, having Callie chose her, it felt good.

But Mark's words had hurt. What he said contradicted the words he had spoken in her defense in the OR several days prior. She had thought he respected her but clearly she was mistaken. While she didn't care much what he thought of her the fact remained that he was Sofia's father. And whether Arizona liked it or not, Mark and Callie had a relationship because of their child. She understood that they were best friends and she was honestly glad that Callie had someone she could rely on. But that someone was always there and had always been there. There had even been times while she was dating Callie that the blonde felt like a third wheel because of Mark. How would that change now? How could that change now that they shared a daughter? A daughter that should, without exception, come first in her mother's life which meant that Mark would always have to be considered when it came time to make decisions.

Maybe this had all been a mistake. For the longest time she'd been so desperate to get back with the brunette that maybe she hadn't considered every part of the situation. She had no doubt that she loved Callie. She could even say that she loved Sofia. So maybe it _wasn't_ a mistake. But was it enough? She didn't know. All that she knew at this moment was that she was in pain and wanted to sleep. "I can't Callie. I'm so sorry. But I have to go."

Callie felt her heart break in two. "No." She whined, desperate for the blonde to stay. "Please Arizona."

The shorter woman leaned in and pressed her lips to Callie's before pulling back a few seconds later. "I want to. I do. I just can't. I'm tired and I just need to go home."

"You could sleep here." Callie still held onto the blonde's shirt, feeling the cool, smooth fabric between her fingers.

"Calliope," Arizona sighed, "I don't have clothes…"

"You can bor-…"

The blonde held up a finger to stop her. "I don't have clothes, crutches, or my pain medication. You don't have a bar in your shower or a shower chair. My ability to be spontaneous is kind of limited and these are all things that I have to consider now before I go anywhere other than work and home." She rested her hand on the other woman's cheek. "I do love you Calliope and thank you for defending me to Mark. But we still have so much more to work through. No matter what he said, Mark is Sofia's father and you have a relationship with him whether you want to or not." She paused, looking into teary brown eyes, "I love you. And I love your daughter." She leaned in, giving Callie another soft kiss, "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Callie was silent, her lips still tingling from the chaste kiss. She knew the words Arizona was saying were true. She also knew that she owed it to the blonde to set boundaries for Mark before she asked Arizona to commit to a relationship with her. Nodding her head, she slid her hand down the other woman's arm, stopping to squeeze her hand before letting go. "I love you too Arizona. More than you could know. Do you still want to meet for breakfast?" She was pretty sure she knew what the answer would be, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"It's almost 5:00am and I have surgery at noon. Maybe lunch or dinner would be better okay?"

The brunette nodded her understanding, the reciprocal offer was more than she had expected. "Thank you for everything tonight Arizona." She pulled her into another hug, kissing her forehead before releasing the shorter woman. "I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Arizona nodded with a small but real smile, "Tomorrow." She grabbed the doorknob again and let herself out of the apartment. While she waited for the elevator to arrive she looked back towards Callie's door where the brunette still stood, watching her. "Sleep well Calliope." She said, stepping into the car.

As the doors slid closed she heard the Latina reply with a soft, "You too."

* * *

Callie got to the hospital at 11:45 the next morning. Figuring that Arizona would already be in the OR she swung by the surgical board but was surprised when A. Robbins wasn't listed anywhere on the schedule. She frowned, the operation the peds surgeon was supposed to be doing wasn't a critical one. Maybe it had been bumped? No, that was unlikely, the board wasn't even packed. So where was Arizona?

The confused brunette made her way up to the peds ward. Her first stop, the pediatric surgeon's office, yielded no success. The door was locked and the lights were off. Frowning again she went over to the nurses' station and the blonde wasn't there either. "Hey Lexie?" Callie called out to the resident who was seated behind the desk. "Where is Dr. Robbins? I thought she was supposed to have surgery at noon but her name's not on the board downstairs.

Lexie looked up from the pile of charts that were spread out in front of her. "Dr. Robbins' surgery was rescheduled because she called out sick. I think we're going to do the surgery the day after tomorrow."

The orthopedic surgeon was perplexed, Arizona had been fine, albeit tired, the last time she'd seen her. So sick? "Okay…thank you Lexie." She answered distractedly as she stepped away from the desk. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she checked to see if she had any messages, but there were none. She was about to dial the blonde's number when someone called her name.

"Dr. Torres?"

Callie whirled around and found herself face to face with Mr. Greer. "Oh. Hello, how is Abbie?"

The man looked tired, much as Callie expected from the family of patients. "She's doing alright but she said the bandage on her leg feels too tight. Would you be able to help us with that? I'm sorry for bothering you but we haven't seen Dr. Robbins today…is there someone else we should ask?"

Slipping her phone back into the pocket of her lab coat she contemplated asking Lexie to go check on the little girl so that she could figure out what was going on with Arizona. But as she thought about the blonde, she paused and decided that she should do it herself. "No, no that's alright. I'll be right there." She waited until he nodded his thanks and walked back to his daughter's room before pulling the phone back out of her pocket. She selected Arizona's name and held the device to her ear growing even more concerned when the phone rang through to voicemail. "Arizona, are you alright, Lexie said you were sick. Call me please." She spoke quietly and quickly into the phone before hanging up and walking into Abbie's room. "Hi Abbie." She walked up to the bed with a comforting smile on her face. "I'm Dr. Torres. I work with Dr. Robbins. Your dad said the bandage on your leg was bothering you. Can I take a look?"

Grey eyes studied her skeptically. "Where is Arizona?"

"She doesn't work today." Callie gave a little white lie, respectfully keeping her distance until the patient gave her permission to approach.

Abbie frowned before nodding her head. "Okay. You can look. Is it going to hurt?"

Callie shook her head as she walked over to the bed and carefully exposed the girl's bandaged leg. She could feel the patient's parents watching her as she worked. "No. It should actually make you feel better once I loosen the bandage." She started to unwind the bandage. "Has Dr. Robbins talked to you about physical therapy yet?" The brunette looked up at the little girl's face while her hands continued to unwrap the residual limb.

"Not really. She just said that since my leg is longer than hers it'll be easier for me."

Callie's hands paused, she didn't realize that the girl knew her doctor was an amputee as well. Though, it shouldn't have surprised her. Arizona would do anything for her patients and it was only natural for her to be particularly invested in this case. "That's true." The orthopedic surgeon continued unwinding the bandage, getting down to the final layer of gauze. This would be the first time Abbie saw her bare leg. She removed the last pad and checked the sutures. Everything looked perfect. "Abbie, I'm going to get your dad to help you sit up because I want to show you some things and explain them to you alright?" When she saw the chestnut head bob up and down, she gestured for her father to come over. "I'm going to raise the head of the bed, but if you could help her sit up, that'd be great." She moved the blanket back over the foreshortened leg and grabbed the lever to lift the head of the bed. Once she had Abbie upright, Callie braced her hip against the edge of the bed, making eye contact with the little girl. "Okay Abbie, I've removed the bandage. Your leg is still black and blue and swollen but it is healing really well." She slowly pulled back the covers to expose the bare skin.

This was not the first time Callie had shown a residual limb to a patient and it certainly wouldn't be the last. As an orthopedic surgeon, this was one of her staple surgeries. That didn't make it any easier though. Especially when children were involved. She heard the standard intake of breath that always came from the fathers of these children and heard the whimper that came from the mothers. She could predict those reactions. They were the same nine times out of ten. She briefly found herself wondering how Arizona's parents had reacted to the sight of their daughter's leg before her thoughts returned to her patient. It was the children's reactions that she couldn't predict. Every kid acted differently. Some screamed, some cried, and some would joke about their newly reshaped limb. Abbie seemed to be taking the silent acceptance route. Callie could see a few tears in the girl's grey eyes and watched one spill onto her cheeks as she reached a hand out to lay it on her exposed thigh. The orthopedic surgeon gave her a few more seconds to process before speaking gently, "Abbie, how are you doing?"

The grey eyes drew away from the limb and looked towards the doctor. "I…I'm okay." She nodded and swallowed as her mother squeezed her hand before looking back at her leg. "I'm okay."

Callie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You are being so brave. It'll take a few weeks, but this swelling and discoloration will go away and then you can get fitted for a prosthetic limb and we'll get you up and walking." She smiled at the young patient. "I'm just going to put a bandage over the stitches, we'll let the rest of your leg breathe for a bit. It should help the throbbing stop." She redressed the surgical site before replacing the blanket. "There." She smiled at the girl and got a small one back in return. "We will check back in on you in a few hours. Just rest now alright?" Callie gently lowered the head of the bed. "I'm going to tell Dr. Robbins that you did great."

After saying her goodbyes, the orthopedic surgeon exited the room. Once she was far enough away for it to be professional, she pulled her phone back out of her pocket. No calls, no texts. She dialed Arizona's number again and once more got voicemail. Her worry came back full force as she made her way back towards the attendings lounge. What was wrong with Arizona?

She looked back down at the phone again and before she could hit redial she crashed into someone walking the other way.

"Woah. Hey." Teddy straightened her lab coat as the brunette looked up. "You alright Callie?" She noticed the nervous look on her face.

"Yeah…no. I just found out from Lexie Grey that Arizona is sick. Do you know…" She was cut off by Teddy raising her hand.

A teasing smile played on the blonde's face. "Arizona's key is the gold one on my key ring."

Callie stared at her blankly for a second, not processing what the cardio surgeon was implying before it clicked. "Thank you Teddy!" The brunette shoved her phone back in her pocket as she practically sprinted towards the attendings' lounge to retrieve the key.

* * *

Callie quietly let herself into Arizona's condo. She'd dropped the blonde off at home before but had never actually been in the apartment. She was struck by how bare it was. The furniture was plain, the walls were white. It was in stark contrast with what she knew of the blonde and what she remembered from Arizona's old apartment two years ago.

She didn't have much time to focus on the sparse décor however when a loud crash came from the back of the condo. Running towards the noise, she suddenly found herself in Arizona's bedroom. The room was dim and the curtains were drawn. Within seconds she realized that the crash had come from a picture which had been knocked off the nightstand.

Callie picked up the frame, frowning when, through the cracked glass, she recognized the picture of Arizona's brother that had been on the blonde's bedside table every place she lived. As her eyes adjusted to the light she saw the homeowner sprawled out on the bed, asleep, covered in a sheen of sweat. Arizona _was_ sick.

The brunette reached out a hand to feel her forehead but before she made contact with skin she witnessed Arizona's face contort into a grimace, a whimper escaping her lips. "Arizona?" She questioned, now even more alarmed as the whimpering increased and the blonde started to thrash around on the bed. Callie now knew how the picture of Tim had ended up on the floor.

Before Callie could reach out to stop what she presumed to be a nightmare, a shriek escaped Arizona's lips and her eyes snapped open as she bolted upright in bed. Those terrified blue eyes were like a beacon and Callie was by her side in seconds. Whatever the blonde had dreamed about must have been horrific. "'Zona, Arizona. It's Callie. Look at me Sweetheart." She lay a gentle hand on a sweaty cheek, guiding Arizona's face towards her. "Breathe, just breathe." The brunette instructed the hyperventilating woman. She took deep breaths, her hands on the smaller woman's shoulders, indicating for her to mimic the slow and steady breathing.

"Ca-Callie." Arizona croaked out as her breathing returned to a normal rate, her glassy blue eyes were fixated on the Latina. Still reeling from her nightmare, the brunette's presence provided some comfort that she desperately needed.

"I'm right here Honey." Callie stroked her cheek, before moving her hand up to feel the blonde's forehead. She was on fire. "I'm so sor-."

"Callie, trashcan." The ill woman threw one arm to the side, weakly pointing to the bathroom as her other hand clamped over her mouth.

Recognizing the universal sign the brunette leapt off the bed, returning within seconds with the plastic bucket. She barely had time to thrust it in Arizona's lap and climb behind her to hold back the blonde's damp hair before Arizona was emptying the contents of her stomach in the bin.

* * *

**As I've mentioned before, and as you can imagine, an amputation is extremely hard on a body. The associated physiological changes make it easier for an amputee to become run-down and Arizona has been pushing herself too hard lately. I'm actually surprised that she never got sick on the show this season. Anyways, that is the explanation for why she is suddenly ill. She overtaxed herself which gives perfect opportunity for Callie to take care of her just like Arizona took care of Sofia last night.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks again to Duvetsnuggler for being awesome.**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	41. Part VII: Ch 5

**Wow, thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. As promised, a new chapter Thurs night/Fri morning.**

**A huge thanks to Duvetsnuggler.**

**I don't own Grey's and (retroactive statement) I don't own any medicines/products/cartoons/cars/entertainment items/_etc_ mentioned in the story.**

**This picks up right where the last left off (_italics_).**

**All mistakes are mine. I edited it but I'm sure there are still some moments of dyslexia due to exhaustion (please just over look those).**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_"Callie, trashcan." The ill woman threw one arm to the side, weakly pointing to the bathroom as her other hand clamped over her mouth._

_Recognizing the universal sign the brunette leapt off the bed, returning within seconds with the plastic bucket. She barely had time to thrust it in Arizona's lap and climb behind her to hold back the blonde's damp hair before Arizona was emptying the contents of her stomach in the bin._

When Arizona finished retching, Callie reached around her, grabbing the bin and putting it on the night stand. She slid down against the headboard so that the sick peds surgeon sat between her legs. Taking the rubber band out of her dark hair, she pulled Arizona's blonde hair into a ponytail before pulling the other woman back against her.

"Thank you." Arizona's voice was hoarse as it came out of her sore throat. She rested on Callie's chest, her breathing finally slowing. "How did you get in?"

"Teddy gave me your key. Why didn't you tell me you were sick Sweetheart?" Callie wrapped her arms gently around the other woman. Arizona's clothes were soaked with sweat and she burned in the brunette's arms.

"It just happened. I felt a bit run down before I got in bed but when I woke up I was nauseated and burning up." She turned slowly so that she was now sideways in Callie's arms and curled up against her, resting her head under the brunette's chin. "I feel like crap." She said weakly.

Callie frowned and pressed a kiss into blonde hair. "I know Arizona. I'm so sorry." She held her close for a few more minutes before shifting out from underneath her. She helped the sick woman lay back down on the bed and stood up. "Have you taken anything?"

Arizona shook her head. "I couldn't get out of bed." Her already flushed cheeks reddened even more in embarrassment. "I tried to use my crutches but I was too shaky and my wheelchair is over there." She pointed to the far corner of the room.

The Latina squinted her eyes in the dim light, making out the mobility aid. Without warning she felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Yes she knew Arizona was disabled, she'd seen her prosthetic, her residual limb, and she'd watched the blonde ambulate on crutches. But Callie knew from recent experience how powerless a person felt when confined to a wheelchair. She herself had struggled to relearn to walk and knew how hard it was. But Arizona had been walking fine by the time she returned to Seattle. She only limped when she was tired and even on crutches the blonde was graceful. It was easy to forget the woman's daily challenges because Callie had never witnessed "recovering Arizona." She hadn't seen the peds surgeon when she was weak from sepsis or was taking her first steps on a prosthetic leg. The Arizona that had returned to Seattle had been physically well but seeing that chair in the corner of the room reminded her that the blonde could never be completely healed. Callie swallowed, looking back to face the woman in the bed. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

Arizona nodded. "Could you bring me the wheelchair?"

The brunette mutely nodded, going to the corner and wheeling the chair over. She watched as Arizona painstakingly pushed herself to a seated position, pulling back the covers, and swinging her leg over the side of the bed. She wore grey yoga pants with the left leg folded and pinned beneath her stump and a blue tank top which revealed muscular, toned arms, no doubt from hauling herself around on crutches. Callie saw the blonde grit her teeth, her arms shaking from the effort of trying to lift herself off the bed. "Can I help you?"

Arizona paused briefly before nodding. She felt Callie's strong hands under her arms, pulling her up off the mattress. The brunette held her close for a minute, supporting most of her weight even though Arizona's foot rested on the floor before carefully lowering her into the wheelchair. The blonde's hands immediately went to the wheels to try and maneuver the chair into the bathroom.

Seeing her struggle, Callie pushed her into the spacious bathroom before locking the wheels of the chair and helping her stand. "What can I do Arizona?"

Her red cheeks flushed again. "I'm okay." Her hand grasped the safety bar that was installed near the toilet.

Callie nodded. She could understand the desire for privacy. The first time a nurse had helped her to the bathroom after her accident, she had been humiliated. "I'll be just outside if you need me." She kissed a feverish cheek before walking out of the bathroom, cracking the door behind her. She grabbed the trash bin that the blonde had thrown up in and took it to the kitchen to clean it out. Returning to the room she quickly stripped the wet sheets off the bed before going to Arizona's dresser to find dry clothes. By the time she turned around, she saw the bathroom door opening as the blonde pushed herself back through the doorway.

Once the wheels hit carpet, Arizona stopped, panting. She looked pitifully up at the brunette. "It's so much easier to use a wheelchair on tile."

With a soft smile, Callie crossed the bedroom, helping her closer to the bed. "Arizona, where are your clean linens?"

"In the hall closet. You don't have to do this Callie." She didn't make eye contact with the standing woman, choosing instead to look at her hands in her lap.

Dropping to a knee, Callie took Arizona's fidgety hands in her own. "I want to." She waited until blue eyes flashed up before giving her a big smile. "I told you I love you Arizona. I'm committed to making us work, and part of that includes taking care of you when you're sick." She raised a hand and caressed a reddened cheek with her thumb. "So I'm going to change your bed sheets and we'll get you in some dry clothes and then do you have a thermometer? I want to check your temperature."

"Okay doctor." Arizona's lips twitched into a smile as Callie stood back up.

The brunette couldn't help but laugh at the weak attempt at a joke. "Well, that is what they pay me for." She flashed another smile before walking out to the hall to retrieve new bed sheets.

For a few seconds, Arizona sat alone in her chair recollecting on the past half an hour. Instead of being surprised that the orthopedic surgeon was in her bedroom, Arizona had been relieved when she woke up and saw her. The calming presence of the woman she was in love with made her feel better even as her stomach continued to twist and her muscles ached. Arizona had noticed that Callie was still in scrubs and her lab coat had been discarded on the floor. She had come from work, just to take care of the ailing woman. Despite her generalized feeling of crappiness, Arizona couldn't help the smile that spread on her face when she heard Callie walk back into the room. Looking over her shoulder, Arizona greeted the entering woman with that dimpled smile, earning one of her own in return.

Callie made quick work of changing the bed sheets before she helped the blonde back up from the wheelchair. "Do you need help changing?"

"I'll be okay thanks. The thermometer is in the medicine cabinet by the way." She let her grasp on Callie's hand linger even as she sat on the bed.

Smiling again, the brunette dropped a kiss on the top of her head before going back into the bathroom. She pulled open the medicine cabinet, several pill bottles clattering in the sink with the sudden movement. As she picked them up to put them back, she couldn't help but read the labels. An anti-depressant and pain medication. After witnessing the blonde's night terror, Callie undoubtedly knew that the anti-depressant was for PTSD. She quickly shoved the bottle back in the cabinet, feeling like she'd invaded Arizona's privacy. The bottle of pain medication gave her pause however. The date filled on the morphine tablets was almost three months prior and the bottle was almost completely full. She knew Arizona was in pain. Why was she not taking her medication? Callie put the bottle back as well as it came to her that the blonde wouldn't be allowed to operate while on opioids. That explained the full bottle. She sighed as she grabbed the thermometer off the shelf before looking for any antipyretics. After grabbing Motrin and a glass of water she made her way back into the bedroom.

Having just pulled on her pants before Callie walked out of the bathroom, the blonde was bent at the waist as she started to fold up the extra fabric from her empty pant leg. Callie quickly set the stuff in her hands on the bedside table before kneeling in front of Arizona. "Hey." She said gently, putting a hand on Arizona's right knee. "Can I help?" Uncertain blue eyes stared back at her. "Please." She smiled when she saw Arizona's head bob up and down. "Are you in any pain?" Callie asked as her strong hands rolled up and pinned the extra fabric. She let her hand hover over Arizona's residual limb, silently asking permission to touch.

"I'm just sore all over." Arizona grabbed the brunette's hand and held it tight for a second before laying Callie's hand on her leg and placing her own dainty hand on top. She felt the orthopedic surgeon caressing both her thighs, as if they were perfectly normal.

Callie sat back on her heels, looking up at the woman on the bed. "We're going to get you better okay?" She rose and grabbed the thermometer, holding it out to the blonde. When Arizona just stared at her and didn't reach for it Callie smirked. "What, do you want me to play doctor?"

In response Arizona gave the faintest of smiles before opening her mouth, waiting for Callie to insert the thermometer. She sat patiently, her hands in her lap, like a little girl at the school nurse.

The brunette had to laugh. Even when she was sick some of the playful peds surgeon still managed to shine through. She put the thermometer under the blonde's tongue, holding it steady while they waited for it to display her temperature. As the device beeped, Callie pulled it out and looked at the little screen. "101.4. Okay, you are taking Motrin now." She handed Arizona several tablets from the bottle and passed her the cup of water. She waited until the blonde had swallowed before continuing. "I am going to make you some chicken soup and you're just going to rest."

Arizona had groaned when Callie had read her temperature. "I hate being sick." She whined as she curled back up under the covers, looking up at the brunette. She saw sympathetic eyes staring back at her before Callie leaned in and placed a kiss on a still warm cheek. "No Callie, don't. You'll get sick too."

"I'll be fine." Callie said gently, moving the blonde's hair out of her eyes.

"Sofia will get sick."

Callie frowned. Arizona had made a good point. She paused. "No, wait. It's Mark's night to take her."

"For real or because of what happened last night?" Arizona was trying to get over it, but the plastic surgeon's words still stung.

"For real. I almost told him he couldn't have her tonight because of that. But now it works out. I am going to have a talk with Mark Arizona." She sat on the edge of the bed, placing a cool hand on Arizona's cheek. "I told you, I want us to work. I want us to date. I want you to be my girlfriend. I know we agreed to go slow, but I see you in my future." She helped the blonde slide backwards, away from the edge of the bed before kicking off her shoes and sliding under the covers next to her.

Arizona immediately attached herself to Callie's chest. "I want to be in your future. And I love Sofia. I really do. But what about Mark? He is the father."

"He's the father. He's not my husband." Callie countered. "I have natural parental rights to Sofia since he and I were never married. Mark's rights are much more vague. I will not purposefully keep his child from him, but if it comes down to you or him, I pick you Arizona. I will always pick you."

"What?" Arizona raised her head from Callie's chest and stared at her.

Callie's face lit up in a smile. "Why do you sound so surprised? I told you that I am in love with you. I'm going to do it right this time. I put Mark first too many times before. And I was a moron. I had this perfect person right in front of me and I let her go."

"Technically I broke up with you." Arizona frowned, wondering why the brunette seemed so happy.

"Okay well that part sucked. But you wouldn't have broken up with me if I hadn't been so passive aggressive about Africa. It was your dream. I should have supported your dream and I'm so sorry." She placed her hand on the blonde's cheek, caressing it with her thumb. They were silent for several minutes before, "You are so, so beautiful." It had just slipped out, her voice full of awe as her eyes roved over Arizona's face.

Arizona felt her heart flutter as she heard the true love and adoration in Callie's voice. Her frown disappeared, replaced by a shy smile. "No Callie, you are." She curled up closer to the brunette, slipping her tiny hand into Callie's larger one. "I don't really feel beautiful," she admitted, "But I feel safe. And I'm happy here with you." She listened to Callie's steady heartbeat, her ear pressed to the brunette's chest. With a squeeze she let go of Callie's hand and started to absentmindedly trace pictures on the other woman's stomach. She heard Callie argue back that she was beautiful, but didn't say anything, still tracing her pictures around the Latina's bellybutton. Being in bed with her felt right. It was that feeling that Arizona had missed for those ten lonely months. But as right as it felt, there was something in the way. Well, not really in the way, because it was missing…chopped off, amputated, ashes in the incinerator at the biomedical waste facility in San Diego. It was funny to say that missing a leg stood in the way of a relationship when the missing leg is what she needed to stand.

"I hate my body." She murmured quietly. "I hate the way I look and I hate the way I feel. I can walk tall at work, pretend it doesn't affect me, but that's a lie." She felt the hand that was stroking her hair stop. "When I woke up without my leg…I wanted to die. I wished I was dead." She stopped drawing circles when she felt the brunette tense up under her. She coughed a little, clearing her throat. "I wished that the plane had killed me too and that vultures had picked apart my body like they did the pilot and co-pilot." She resumed drawing patterns on Callie's stomach.

Callie was shocked by what she heard coming out of the blonde's mouth. It was so morbid, so awful. "Is that what your nightmare was about?" She asked, her voice shaky. She could feel Arizona nod against her breasts. "How often do you have them?"

"Every night." Arizona said simply. It was a fact of life for her now. "Not always about the vultures though. Sometimes it's about the crash. Sometimes it's about waking up with my leg gone." She paused to clear her throat again, her head stuffy from all the congestion. "And sometimes it is anything that happened in between. From start to finish it was about a week. Four days in the desert…I remember a lot of that. And then time to travel from Malawi to Baltimore and from Baltimore to San Diego. I don't remember much of those last three days. I went from having my leg in an external fixator…you would have liked it, it was well done…to waking up with a very short bandaged stump."

Callie felt her gut retch. It was painful to hear. She didn't know many of the details until now. "Where was the break?" Clinical details were something she thought she could handle.

"A few inches above my knee. About where Abbie's was actually."

The brunette was shocked, why on earth did Arizona have such a short residual limb? She was cut off just above mid-thigh when the break sounded like it was several inches lower. "Why did they amputate so high?" What hack of an orthopedic surgeon had done her surgery?

"I sat in the dirt and in my own pee for four days Callie. I had a huge infection. The bone was necrosed, the muscles were dead. I'm lucky I didn't lose it at my hip or need a hemipelvectomy." She coughed again, sniffling, trying to clear her stuffed nose. "I know I'm lucky to have survived. I know I should be grateful. And I am. A lot of the time. But I definitely did not think of it that way when I woke up. That first night in San Diego…" She shuddered...

"_Arizona you're going to hurt yourself!" Her mother shouted, her voice full of desperation. _

_The blonde continued to struggle, filled with rage about what had been done to her body. "I don't care! I want to die! I want to die!" She pulled hard against her father, using all her remaining strength to pull away. Breaking free of her father's grasp her extra momentum sent her tumbling out of the bed._

"_Arizona!" Both parents screamed as their daughter hit the floor, they heard her groan as her head smacked the ground._

_Daniel Robbins raced around the bed, lifting the dazed blonde. Amongst the many cuts and bruises on her face, she now had a new bruise forming around her eye where her face had hit the tile. He gently lay her back on the bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead, his own blue eyes filling up with tears. She had been so light. So easy to lift. Between her malnourished body and the loss of a 25 lb limb he was pretty sure she didn't clear 100 lbs. "Get a Dr. Barb. She needs to be checked out." He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her arm as his wife ran out of the room._

_Arizona moaned in pain again, dizzy and lethargic from the hard blow. Despite this, she still continued to struggle pathetically against her father. "Let me die. Please. You should have just let me die." She whimpered, her voice as weak as the body that had almost failed her. When the physician and her mother returned they found her staring blankly at the ceiling, the plea "I want to die," repetitively falling from her lips._

"I woke up later in padded restraints. My wrists and my ankle. They'd placed the extra ankle restraint around my stump." She scoffed and the sarcastic laugh turned into a barking cough. When she caught her breath she continued. "I guess the crazy people that they usually dealt with have all four limbs. I understand that they don't want to get kicked, but really? My leg is eight inches long. Plus it hurt too much to move. I really don't think it would have been a risk to leave that restraint off." Arizona still continued to talk to Callie's stomach as her head rested on the Latina's chest.

Callie tightened her hold on the smaller woman, tucking her chin down so she could kiss blonde hair. "I am so so sorry Arizona." She felt tears stinging her eyes as she listened to all the woman she loved had endured.

Now Arizona lifted her head, moving so that she lay on her side, facing the Latina. "I don't want to die any more Calliope. I haven't for a while. Not since we started talking again." She paused and sighed, "I want to kiss you, but I don't want to get you sick…" Her bottom lip came out in a pout.

A smile spread on Callie's face even as tears spilled from her eyes. She moved her hand to the back of Arizona's head, her fingers tangled in wet blonde locks. "So I get sick." Her eyes twinkled as she leaned forward, capturing the other woman's lips with her own.

* * *

**Recognize where that last quote (variant) came from?**

**I hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know what you think/want to see in the coming chapters.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	42. Part VII: Ch 6

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews on the last chapter. Your response blew me away. Y'all are great!**

**Thank you to several reviewers whose ideas I tried to incorporate into the story. And thank you to Duvetsnuggler.**

**Couple scenes in this chapter that take care of a few things. Enjoy.**

* * *

They slept for several hours, their arms wrapped around one another, holding each other close. For Arizona, it was the longest period of sleep she had gotten without waking up from a nightmare. They could have slept for hours longer but the blaring of a pager startled them both awake.

"Go back to sleep." Callie whispered and she untangled herself from the sheets. She walked to her discarded lab coat and pulled the black box out of a pocket, shutting off the alarm and reading the message. She groaned, after her emotional talk with Arizona she'd forgotten that she was actually supposed to be at work. That she'd left work to come here. And that she still had surgeries scheduled for today. One of which was supposed to start in an hour.

"What's wrong?" Arizona covered her mouth as she yawned, her other hand propping her head up as she looked at Callie from her place on the bed. "Sorry." She blushed.

Callie smiled, walking over and pressing a kiss to the other woman's forehead. "I forgot that I have surgery. Are you hungry now?" She saw Arizona shake her head. Reaching down she brushed blonde hair out of blue eyes. "Okay. Why don't you sleep? I'll come back when I'm done and we'll get you something to eat." She set the trash bin back on the blonde's night stand. "Just in case okay? How's your stomach?"

"I'm still a little queasy but I don't think I'm going to throw up."

"Good. That's good. You're still really warm though." The brunette picked up the thermometer and held it out towards the woman in the bed. "Open up." She chuckled when the blonde complied. "You're such a good patient Arizona."

Something along the lines of, "I have a good doctor," was mumbled around the thermometer and Callie laughed again. "Keep your lips closed ya goof." She held the thermometer until it beeped. Pulling it out of her "patient's" mouth, Callie read the display. "101.1…well, it's slightly better." She handed blonde a few more tablets of motrin and helped her sit up so she could swallow some water. "You go back to sleep and I'll be back after surgery okay?"

Arizona nodded, curling up with her fist under her cheek as she looked up at Callie. She watched the brunette position her wheelchair closer to the bed and refill her water glass before a kiss was placed on her forehead.

"I love you Arizona."

"I love you too Calliope." With another yawn, her eyes fluttered shut and Callie could swear the blonde was asleep before she left the room.

Making a stop in the kitchen, she explored the pantries and fridge, trying to determine if the homeowner had what she needed to cook dinner... She did not. Arizona's cabinets were bare, save for a box of crackers and the fridge was just as pitiful. Half a bottle of wine, a few beers, and a couple assorted take out containers. Callie made a mental note to stock the blonde's kitchen when she got back.

When she made it back to work she quickly changed her scrubs before heading to the OR floor to scrub in. As she walked into the scrub room she realized she wasn't alone. Mark was at the sink, washing his hands. She groaned internally, not ready for this confrontation. She tried to make a stealthy exit but before she could go back out into the hall, he turned, spying the brunette. "Torres…"

She sighed and walked to the sink, grabbing a bar of soap and ripping it open. "Hello Mark." Her voice was cold as she stepped on the water pedal.

He looked at her as he continued to run his hands under the water. "Are you still mad at me?"

"What do you think?" She snapped as she scrubbed at her hands with more force than was necessary. "You basically told Arizona that she wasn't trustworthy enough to be around our child. Oh, and you pretty much disregarded my whole relationship with her." She dropped the bar of soap in the sink and turned off the water. If they were going to have this conversation then she needed to focus on it and not on sterilizing herself for surgery. "I love her Mark. Why do you not understand that?"

"You two are always hot and cold and I just don't think it's good for Sofia. I mean Robbins has so many issues Callie, her leg, PTSD, she's self-involved, what makes you think she won't just up and leave you again?"

Callie's jaw dropped as she stared at him indignantly. "She lost a leg Mark. I think she's allowed to focus on herself. Considering no one else has. She kept her leg secret for months. She wasn't looking for hand outs or for anyone to pity her. Yes, her parents helped her through physical therapy, but when she came back here, she was all alone. I mean yeah, Teddy found out pretty quickly, but other than that, she had no support system here."

"So you're back with her because you feel guilty?" He too dropped his bar of soap, drying his hands. He turned to face his fellow surgeon, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm back with her because I love her. I don't know if you realized this Mark, but last night, when she was watching our daughter she had left her prosthetic on. She was in pain. I know she was in pain. She was limping when she left the hospital last night. But she kept her prosthetic on just in case Sofia needed her. She helped me with physical therapy and she saved Sofia's life. Also, when you were yelling at us last night, and upsetting our daughter, Arizona was the one to get her back to sleep even though her feelings were hurt by the things you said. She hasn't asked me for a single thing in return. I pick her Mark. You are my best friend, but she is my soul mate and I cannot live without her."

"But you can live without me?"

She glared at him. Why wasn't he getting this? "I don't want to, but if you ask me to pick, it is going to be her. It is always going to be her. Because after Sofia, she is the most important person in my life." She turned back to the sink and ripped open another bar of soap to resumed her scrub in procedure. "Ball's in your court now Mark."

The room was silent except for running water. After half a minute of this, Callie chanced a glance at the plastic surgeon. Mark's hands gripped the side of the sink. His head was slightly lowered as he leaned forward. As she looked at him, he started to speak, his voice slow and soft, the angry edge gone. "Robbins is good for you. And I'm sorry I was such an ass."

"You really should tell that to her."

Mark nodded and continued, still not looking at his friend. "I just don't understand why you get your happy ending and Lexie won't even look at me."

Callie sighed, she knew he was still heartbroken about the younger Grey sister, "I'm so so sorry Mark. Really I am. But I can't speak for Lexie. I can't even speak for Arizona. I can only speak for myself. Arizona and I are far from a happy ending. We still have a lot to work out. A lot of talking to do. Maybe you should try talking to Lexie too?" She looked sideways at him as she continued her four minute scrub.

"Yeah." His hand reached for another bar of soap and he started to wash again. "I'll try." He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he thought about the woman _he'd _lost. "How is it going with Robbins? Did you have a good night last night?" He looked at her, catching her eye as he ran his hands under the water.

The brunette gave him a small smile, grateful that he was trying to reconcile. "She couldn't stay. I don't have anything that she needs to make it safe for her in the bathroom and I didn't have any way for her to get around without her prosthetic." Her smile disappeared. "So much of her independence has been stripped away. I know she hates it. And I can't even have her over because of all the changes that need to be made. She woke up so sick this morning and it's killing me that I left her alone last night. I didn't even know that she was sick until Teddy told me."

Mark frowned as he cleaned under his fingernails. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know…I want to take her back to my place because I've got Sofia, but it's not handicap accessible. I'm staying with her tonight since you've got Sof, but what happens tomorrow?" She finished scrubbing up to her elbows and started to rinse off. She hadn't wanted to leave the blonde to come back to work. She had no clue how she'd be able to leave her overnight. Especially when she was ill.

The tall man hadn't considered the fact that Arizona _wouldn't _have been able to stay with the brunette the night before. Back when Arizona and Callie had dated he was so used to their spontaneity, their fun and flirty interactions, that it annoyed him. It never occurred to him that something like an amputation could affect a relationship in that way. He started to feel guilty when he remembered an exhausted Arizona sleeping by Sofia's incubator after her surgery and the time when the blonde had relieved him in Callie's ICU room when he needed sleep. He hadn't considered how much of her life needed to be carefully choreographed. How she couldn't spontaneously hook up with someone, not that that had been the intention last night, when he took one-night stands for granted. "How about I keep Sofia until Arizona is better, that way you can stay with her until we figure out what to do about your apartment. I'm not trying to keep Sofia from you two, but just like when you or I are sick and the other person watches Sof, Arizona is just another person we have to take into consideration now."

Callie felt a soft smile come over her face, touched my Mark's inclusion of Arizona into the family. She really had been afraid that she would have to pick between the two. Scared that she was going to lose Mark's friendship because she knew she would pick Arizona. She was happy that she could have both, but after all that they had been through over the past few years, she knew that boundaries needed to be set with her child's father if she was going to have a successful relationship with the woman she loved. That was a conversation for another time though. Now she was just grateful that things seemed to be starting on the right track. "I'd appreciate that Mark. Thank you."

He nodded his head and matched her small smile as he turned off the water and opened the door with the toe of his shoe, letting Callie pass before him into the hall. "You're welcome."

* * *

Callie's rotator cuff repair had been a success and her second surgery of the day had been cancelled because of her patient's critically high blood pressure. After rescheduling his surgery, rearranging her schedule for the next few days so she could spend most of her time with the ailing blonde, and swinging by daycare to cuddle her daughter, Callie stepped into the elevator. She was about to press the button for the lobby when she was struck by something that Arizona would want her to do. Selecting the floor for the peds ward instead, she leaned back against the elevator wall, her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket.

When the door dinged and opened, she walked out, headed straight for the room across from the nurses' station. The room was dim but she could see the TV playing. She checked her watch; dinnertime. Taking her chances, she knocked on the doorframe, a smile on her face. "Hi Abbie." She noticed that the patient was alone.

The girl in the bed looked over when she heard her name. "Hi." She replied, hitting the power button on the remote. "My parents went to get dinner." She answered the orthopedic surgeon's unasked question as Callie flipped on the lights.

Callie nodded, stepping into the room and pulling a chair up to the head of the bed. Sitting down, she studied the girl. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Are you here to check my incisions again? Someone already did about a half an hour ago. A really cute guy." She blushed.

Callie chuckled. "Probably Dr. Karev. He is Dr. Robbins' student. A lot of girls like him so don't be embarrassed. But no, I didn't come to check on your incisions. I just knew Dr. Robbins would want me to stop by. See how you're doing."

Abbie bobbed her head up and down. "I'm okay. Where is Arizona? I had some more questions about the pros-prosthetic leg. Is that the right word?"

Callie nodded her head with a soft smile. "Unfortunately Arizona is sick. But I know she wanted to check in on you so when I see her tonight I'll let her know that you're doing well…" Callie paused for a moment. Arizona was so invested in this case, the ability to help someone through a situation similar to hers seemed to be cathartic for the blonde. It occurred to her that helping this young girl may be better therapy than any counseling session. "Hmmm…" She tapped her finger on the arm rest of the chair before pulling out her phone. She was sure the peds surgeon wouldn't mind what she wanted to do. "You know what. I'm going to call her. Put her on speaker phone okay and you can ask her your questions. If she doesn't pick up, then we can try again tomorrow."

Abbie's eyebrows shot up. "Really? She wouldn't mind?"

Callie chuckled, hitting her speed dial. "Not at all." She held the ringing phone to her ear, her smile widening after a few rings when the blonde picked up.

"_Hello?"_ Arizona's voice was stuffy, but not like someone who had just been woken up.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Callie spoke softly into the phone.

Arizona coughed but quickly cleared her throat. _"Better. My fever is lower and my stomach is alright. Now it's just all this head crap. I probably picked up something at work. Will you be home soon?"_

Callie could feel Abbie's eyes watching her curiously as she continued the private conversation. "Yeah, I will. But first, I came to check on Abbie. And she had a few questions for you. Do you want me to put her on speaker or should I let you get some more rest."

Callie could hear rustling of sheets like the blonde was moving to a seated position in the bed, her voice came through clearer when she spoke again. _"No, definitely put her on."_ Callie knew how much this case meant to her and Arizona was glad that she'd thought to do this.

"Alright." Callie lowered the phone from her ear and pressed the speakerphone icon. "Alright, go ahead." She watched Abbie scoot closer to the edge of the bed so she could be closer to the phone.

"_Hi Abbie. How are you feeling?"_ Back in her condo, Arizona's natural perkiness peeked through her congestion.

"I'm doing good. I'm sorry you don't feel well."

Both people in the room heard Arizona laugh and then cough, clearing her throat. _"Thank you. I'll be alright. It's one of the risks of working in a hospital. Even doctors catch colds. But I'll be back in a few days and until then Dr. Torres and Dr. Karev will be checking in on you. But I understand you have a few questions?"_

Abbie nodded before realizing that the surgeon on the phone couldn't see it. "Yes. Is that okay?"

"_Of course."_

"How does it stay on?"

"_The leg? Well there is a couple different ways. A lot of people use a liner with a pin on the bottom that hooks into the socket or you can use a liner without the pin and it stays on by suction. I use a pin because my residual limb pretty short but either method should work for you. When you start working with Dr. Moore in physical therapy, he'll try out a whole bunch of sockets on you and see what you like best."_

Callie couldn't help the smile on her face as she listened to the blonde educate her young patient. Arizona sounded so confident. She'd come a long way from the person she'd described in San Diego.

Abbie absorbed all the information that Arizona had thrown at her. "Okay. Do they all look like yours or are there some that um…" She paused, blushing. "I'm not trying to be rude. I just wanted to know to know if there were some legs that looked like normal legs?"

Arizona chuckled through the phone. _"That wasn't rude. And yes, there are. There are cosmetic covers available. Some companies will even match your skin tone or put freckles. It's pretty amazing actually."_

"Do you have one?" Abbie asked the next natural question and Callie tuned in, curious to hear the answer. She and Arizona never talked about the prosthetic except for when the one she wore to work gave her problems.

"_I do not. I wear scrubs pretty much all the time so I guess I just never saw the need to get one."_ Arizona coughed and cleared her throat again. _"Sorry Abbie. Excuse me."_

Abbie smiled and Callie smiled too when she saw her patient looking so happy. "I hope you feel better. Thank you for answering my questions."

"_Of course. I'll see you soon okay."_ Arizona said goodbye to the little girl and waited until she heard the echo that accompanied speaker phone stop. _"Thank you for doing that Callie. You know I was worried about her."_

Callie smiled as she rested her cheek against the phone. "I know. I'll be home soon okay. The fridge is empty though so I'm going to stop for groceries."

"_You know I can't cook. Don't sound so surprised." _She chuckled. _"Thank you Calliope. I love you."_

"I love you too." Her smile stayed on her face as she hung up the phone, tucking it in her pocket. She looked up to find Abbie with a smirk on her face. This time it was her turn to blush. "Sorry."

The young girl giggled. "That's okay. Thank you Dr. Torres. Please tell Arizona thank you again too."

"Of course." The orthopedic surgeon stood, shoving her hands back in her jacket pockets. "Sleep well."

* * *

Setting the bags of groceries on the counter Callie listened to the silent house. She set her purse on the table and shrugged out of her jacket. As she passed into the bedroom, she kicked off her shoes and silently approached the sleeping blonde. Arizona looked much more peaceful than she had the last time Callie had entered the apartment. The brunette pressed a kiss to her forehead. Arizona was still warm but was no longer drenched in sweat. She heard a happy murmur pass through pink lips as blue eyes blinked open at her.

"Hi." Arizona breathed as she reached a hand out towards the other woman.

Callie smiled, taking and kissing her hand before slipping into bed beside her. Wordlessly she wrapped her arms around the blonde as Arizona molded herself against her chest, the pair falling into an easy sleep.

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**Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think. As usual, ideas are appreciated.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	43. Part VII: Ch 7

Callie woke up around midnight aware of a whimpering noise emanating beside her. It took the brunette several seconds to realize that she wasn't in her own bed and furthermore she was not alone. Looking at the woman still in her arms she saw that Arizona's face was illuminated by a beam of moonlight; the whimpering was coming from her lips. "Baby." She whispered, brushing blonde hair off the dreaming woman's forehead. When that didn't rouse her she leaned over, pressing a light kiss to the blonde's temple, "Arizona."

With a gasp, Arizona's eyes snapped open, looking around wildly until they landed on Callie's face. Her breathing slowed and she reached a hand out to rest it on a tanned cheek.

"Hey there." Callie leaned over her, caressing her cheek. Dipping her head she kissed Arizona's forehead again before rising back up to look at her. "What happened Baby? Was it another nightmare?" She watched a blonde head bob up and down. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I almost lost you." Her words were quiet, her voice shaky. Blue eyes flitted around nervously as she tried to take in all of the brunette's features.

"What?"

"The car accident. And you…I…" She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

Callie felt her eyes start to water as she lay back down beside the blonde and held her close. "I'm still here Arizona. And so are you. We're both here." She pressed her lips to a pale cheek, speaking into the soft skin, "You never told me you had nightmares about my car crash."

"This was the first time." She swallowed. "I was so scared Calliope." The nightmares about the plane crash and her amputation were horrifying in and of themselves, but this was a whole new level of gut wrenching fear. Now that she finally had someone to love her, now that she finally had the woman she loved, she was terrified that it would all be ripped out from under her. She heard Callie sigh and roll away from her, leaving a cold gap beside her. About to curse herself for scaring the brunette off, her fears were instantly abated when Callie sat up and flipped on the bedside light, pulling her into her lap.

Callie held the diminutive blonde close to her chest, peppering her hair with kisses. "I will not leave you Arizona. I told you, I'm in it to stay. Every nightmare you have, I'll be right here to remind you that it's not real. It won't happen. We've survived."

Arizona nodded her head against the Latina's chest. It had been such a long time since she'd felt this safe. "What happens when you have to go home tomorrow though?"

The brunette shook her head. "Mark is keeping Sofia until you are better. And then we'll figure out how to make my apartment safer for you…" Callie stopped, her words were presumptuous and she was scared that moving too fast would scare off the other woman. "If you want that is…"

"Thank you Callie." Arizona said simply, which the brunette took to be a sign of agreement. She was about to curl back into the other woman when her stomach emitted a loud gurgling noise. Pale cheeks blushed again as they had been doing so frequently throughout the day. "Excuse me." She gave a small laugh. "I think my stomach is saying that it is finally ready to eat."

Callie chuckled, pushing herself up she placed a kiss on the tip of the blonde's nose before rolling out of bed. "I'll go make you something okay? What do you want? Soup? Crackers? Toast?" She pulled her sweater back on and turned back to face the woman in the bed who she was surprised to see sitting up, swinging her leg over the side of the mattress. "What are you…" She watched Arizona reach for her crutches before standing up. "Arizona?"

"I want to come with you." The blonde started to leave the room, leading Callie out. "I feel better except for this head cold and I have been in bed all day."

Chuckling again, Callie walked after her. "Alright then." She walked alongside the hopping woman, instinctively reaching for her hand before realizing that she couldn't hold it. "I'm glad you're feeling better." She dropped her hand back down to her side and smiled at the blonde, pulling a chair out for her when they reached the kitchen.

"Thank you." Arizona sat down, leaning her crutches against the table as she looked up at the brunette who was working at the counter to prepare a meal. Somewhere in the back of her head, a voice was telling her that they were maybe moving too fast, but after the past day, she didn't care. She wanted more. Callie had taken such good care of her and being held…it was better than any sleep aid for preventing nightmares. Even in past relationships with the Latina, she had never felt as loved as she did in this instance. She rested her hands on her thighs, the fingers of her left hand curling over the end of her leg. "Calliope?"

"Hmm?" The brunette in question looked over her shoulder, smiling at the seated woman.

Deciding she needed to be closer, she hauled herself back out of the chair and put her crutches under her arms. Making her way over to Callie, Arizona stopped a few inches away, tilting her head to look up at her.

Callie stopped pealing the apple she had cut up and grinned down at her. "You are so cute." She picked up an apple slice and held it out to the blonde. When Arizona opened her mouth, Callie slipped the apple slice between her pink lips. She grinned when shorter woman lightly sucked on her fingers before pulling back and crunching down on the sweet treat. Hot! Callie's heart skipped a beat as she brought her own thumb to her mouth, licking away the rest of the apple juice. She watched the blonde out of the corner of her eye as she popped a few slices of bread in the toaster. That was her Arizona. Even if it was just for a second Callie had seen fun, flirty, sexy Arizona Robbins. She turned and saw that playful dimpled grin that had been absent for so long.

"Calliope." Arizona sing-songed as she ran her fingers down the other woman's arm with a feather-light touch. "I have a question for you." She nibbled on part of her bottom lip even while smiling.

"Yes?" Callie looked at her curiously, seeing the twinkle in the blonde's blue eyes.

"Are we girlfriends?"

Callie's eyebrows shot up, a huge grin spreading across her face.

"I know we said we wouldn't go fast. And-and I'm not ready for some…for a lot of things, but I feel like we're girlfriends. So I need to know. Are we girlfriends?" The smile had tapered out and now she just chewed nervously on her lip.

Letting out a little laugh, Callie pulled the crutches out from under the blonde's arms, resting them against the counter.

Arizona stood stalk still, maintaining her balance as she waited for the Latina's answer. Letting out a little shriek, she was surprised when Callie grabbed her hips and hoisted her onto the counter. Now slightly taller than the brunette, she was able to look down at her. "So…"

"Arizona, yes." Callie laughed again, resting her hands on Arizona's hips. "Yes we're girlfriends." She leaned in and stole a quick kiss. The grin she gave matched the one she was receiving from the blonde. "And I know you aren't ready for some stuff. That's okay. Everything can stay above the belt for as long as you need. We've got time to work through it because I don't plan on ever letting you go again." She dipped her head forward, nuzzling her new girlfriend's neck, peppering kisses along her exposed collarbone. She continued with the soft kisses as she heard the blonde moan with pleasure.

"Calliope." Arizona moaned, her hands grasping the standing woman's sweater as kisses trailed up her neck, ending on the corner of her mouth before Arizona turned her head and captured the brunette's red lips with her own. Their tongues battled for dominance as Arizona leaned forward, desperate to get closer to her girlfriend. She felt Callie's protective arms around her as she was pulled back off the counter. Arizona balanced on her foot, allowing Callie to provide most of her support as she slipped a hand under the brunette's sweater, resting her palm against Callie's warm back. They continued to kiss until air became a necessity and they both pulled away, panting. "You're going to get sick."

"I'll be fine." Callie rested her forehead against the shorter woman's. She could feel Arizona's warm breath on her face as she shut her eyes, running her palm down Arizona's side, stopping at her hips just like she promised. Her eyes opened and she lifted her forehead from the blonde's, her brown eyes almost black. "You are so beautiful." She raised a hand to lay it on a pale cheek, caressing the soft skin with her thumb. "So beautiful. Please believe me when I say that Arizona." Her voice was choked with emotion as she spoke softly to her girlfriend.

And standing there in her kitchen, wrapped in her girlfriend's strong arms, for the first time in almost a year, Arizona felt that maybe she was.

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**Thanks for reading the chapter. More to come soon. Do you think I need to up the rating for this chapter?**

**Please let me know what you think of the chapter/what you want to see soon!**


	44. Part VII: Ch 8

**I apologize for how short this is, but with my current schedule, this is the best I can do at the moment. I hope even though it's short, that it doesn't disappoint.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and than you to those of you who gave me the ideas for part of this chapter.**

**Grey's isn't mine, the mistakes are mine...**

**Enjoy**

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It took another two days before Arizona was well enough to return to work. By that time, her stomach no longer wanted to revolt and she could actually breathe through her nose. After her one heated make-out session with her girlfriend the pair had agreed to continue taking it slow as they waded their way, together, through their multitude of personal challenges. They had grown closer as a couple as they took the time to talk and fill each other in on their ten months as single women. Tears had been shed and laughs had echoed through the condo as they caught up on what they had missed. Almost everything was discussed but the one topic that remained taboo, that they had both independently chosen not to discuss, was Arizona's time in the desert. Callie did not want to push the blonde and Arizona was not ready to broach the topic with her new girlfriend. Not even Aimee, her counselor in San Diego, or Jan, her counselor here, knew the full details of those four awful days and Arizona was not planning on opening that can of worms any time soon. All in all things were going well and both women were satisfied with how their relationship was progressing.

On the morning of Arizona's scheduled return to work she had intended on riding in with Callie. Unfortunately for both of them, the orthopedic surgeon had been paged in at an ungodly hour in the middle of the night and had yet to return. Arizona knew that Callie had gone straight to the hospital, likely without stopping at her own apartment to freshen up. Back when they started dating the first time, and again the second time, and now the third time Arizona always lived further away from Seattle Grace Mercy West than did the orthopedic surgeon. Usually out of convenience they stayed at Callie, though that wasn't an option at the moment. On the rare occasion they stayed at Arizona's they had always made a pit stop by the brunette's so Callie could get a change of clothes.

Considering the urgency of the page that Callie had received this morning while she was sleeping contently, her arms wrapped around the blonde, Arizona assumed that Callie had not been able to make that pit stop. With the intention to pick up some clothes for her girlfriend, Arizona stepped off the elevator on the fifth floor of Callie's apartment complex. As she approached 502, she was surprised to see that the blue door was wide open. "Callie?" She didn't think the brunette would be home. Let alone with her door open. "Callie?" She called again, tentatively making her way into the living room. Suddenly a whirling noise, originating from the bathroom caught her off guard and she yelped, looking around wildly for an intruder. As soon as the surprised cry left her lips, the whirling stopped, followed by a clank and a crash and a very familiar voice cursing loudly.

Realizing that it was Mark, the blonde entered the master bedroom, stopping just outside the doorway of the bathroom that now resembled a construction zone. Sawdust was everywhere, the shower door was off its track, and various pieces of hardware littered the tarp covered ground. She was about to comment when she saw the object in the plastic surgeon's hand. A thin silver bar, identical to the one that was in her own shower, gleamed in Mark's fist while another glinted at her, already fixed to the wall on the right hand side of the toilet. "Mark?" She questioned quietly, noticing a broken, bloody tile on the shower floor beside him and a tile shaped gap in the shower wall. Arizona saw him shake his arm, cursing again under his breath before examining the cut on his forearm. "Hey Mark." The blonde spoke a little louder, catching his attention.

"Crap Robbins, you scared the shit out of me. You're not supposed to be here." He stepped out of the disaster zone of a shower, walking closer to her and grabbing a towel to press to the red streak on his arm.

"Mark, what are you doing?" She questioned, stepping up to his side and taking the towel to examine the laceration.

He winced as she approximated the edges of his wound before looking down at her. "Trying to say I'm sorry."

Blue eyes flashed up to his. "What?"

He sighed and took the towel back, pressing it between his wounded arm and his stomach to staunch the bleeding before placing his other hand on the small of the peds surgeon's back. He guided her out to the kitchen counter, pulling a stool out for her before sitting on his own. "I'm sorry Arizona. For what I said the other night, for the way I've treated you since you've been back. Torres is…my best friend, but you are her soul mate and I need to respect that. You two are good together and I guess I was just a little jealous that you two got a second-"

"Third."

"-third chance when I'm obviously not getting one with Lexie." He had maintained eye contact with the blonde for most of his monologue, only dropping his gaze towards the end. Callie had been right to put him in his place and the pediatric surgeon hadn't done anything to deserve his animosity.

Arizona could hear the sincerity in his voice. She placed a hand on his knee and dipped her head, trying to catch his eye. "Hey Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Apology accepted. Thank you." She too was sincere as she spoke to the other surgeon. This was the Mark that had defended her in the OR a week ago. The same Mark who had genuinely begged her to help with Callie's physical therapy. The Mark that would be a great father to Sofia Torres. She took the towel back from him and examined his arm. "You need stitches. You're a plastic surgeon, I'm assuming you have some in your kit?"

He nodded his head, taking the towel back as she stood up. "It's in my apartment above the sink. Do you mind…This isn't an angle I can stitch up myself."

A playful smirk found its way onto Arizona's face. "Well Mark, I'm not a plastic surgeon you know..." She teased.

He chuckled. "You suture small children. I trust your fine motor skills. Let Torres or Hunt sew me up? Nah. They're butchers. But I trust you."

Arizona laughed and rolled her eyes at his description of orthopedic and trauma surgery as she crossed the hall to retrieve his medical kit. Once she was back at Callie's kitchen counter, she lay down a pad and gestured for Mark to rest his elbow on the counter with the dorsal surface of his arm facing her. "When was your last tetanus shot?" She drew up the local anesthetic in her syringe before injecting it around his cut as he hissed in pain.

As the wound began to go numb he watched her dig around in the bag, pulling out suture material, sterile gloves, scissors, forceps, and a needle driver. "Four years ago. When Derek punched me."

Her eyes shot up from organizing her supplies. "What?...you know what…no I don't want to know. Ready?" She asked as she pulled on her gloves.

He nodded, peering at her supplies. "What suture material are you using?"

"4-0 nylon." She knew the plastic surgeon would be hypercritical of her suture type but was surprised to see him nodding approvingly.

"Good choice." He watched her as she cleaned the wound before picking up the needle drivers and removing the suture material from its package.

Arizona chuckled. "I finished my residency much more recently than you did Mark. My plastics training is still relatively fresh. Don't be so surprised."

"Are you calling me old?"

The blonde grinned up at him as she trimmed the ends of her first suture. She focused back on her work as she heard him grumble good naturedly. After placing several more tight and close stitches, she looked back up at him. "Mark, thank you for what you're doing in the bathroom. You have no idea what it means to me. It's amazing the things you take for granted you know." She looked back at the arm, starting another suture. "Like standing up to take a shower…not being able to do it without the proper equipment in place." She tied it and trimmed the edges looking back up at him.

He looked back at her, his gaze a mix of sympathy and understanding. "You shouldn't lose the ability to have spontaneous nights at your girlfriend's just because the bathroom is unsafe. It's not fair."

She gave him a small sad smile. "It's not. But we work around it. So again, thank you."

"Any time." He watched her go back to work on the sutures. She took such care and precision in closing up the wound that he wasn't worried about a scar. "Besides, Sofia wants you around too. You're really good with her."

Arizona chuckled. "She's delicious. She's heart-stoppingly adorable. I have seen a lot of cute kids, but Sofia is something special."

"She is." He agreed, watching as she placed the last suture. He saw her wipe away any dried blood and spread on an antibiotic cream before dressing the wound with gauze. "Thank you. And as for Sofia, I'm glad you are going to be in her life."

Touched, Arizona looked back up at him again as she got off the stool to clean up her mess. "I appreciate that." She disposed of the used medical supplies before coming back around the counter to stand by the plastic surgeon. "Mark, the genuineness that you just spoke to me with…that's how you need to talk to Lexie. Make her listen to you because I know she misses you too." She placed a hand on the seated man's shoulder, "She will be assisting with my gastric stimulator implant today at 4:00 in OR 1. Just if…" She shrugged with a grin. "You know, if you want to talk to her."

Mark chuckled as a huge grin spread on his face. Standing up he pulled the petite woman into a hug. "Blondie," He squeezed her tight before dropping a kiss on the top of her head, clearly thrilled with the news she'd just given him, "Callie's right, you are the best."

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**I hope you enjoyed this. More to come soon.**

**Please tell me what you think/want to see.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	45. Part VII: Ch 9

**Hey guys, I am super sorry for falling off the face of the planet. Life got very busy :-/ I usually have 2 or 3 assessments a week. Which is no big deal because, not to be cocky, I'm good at what I do. But...this week I had 7 (seriously wtf). The hardest of which was today (hence no chapters for a few days). The last/most important of which is tomorrow-but that is within my specialty so I'm not concerned-hence the chapter tonight. **

**Gotta go get sleep now. This is the first time I've actually made it back to my house in oh...about 48 hours. My roommate surprised me with risotto though when I got home tonight so I am super happy. **

**This is kind of a filler-ish chapter, but it lays the groundwork for several important events to come. Some of this parallels 8x03 so that we can progress into Season 8 AU/Cannon. It's late September now in the fic so Karev, Cristina, Meredith, April, and Jackson are all 5th years and Lexie is a 4th year.**

**Thanks to Duvetsnuggler and all the other reviewers who provided me with ideas.**

**Grey's isn't mine. I'm sleep deprived and the mistakes are mine (sorry if there's more than normal).**

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Arizona and Mark made it to the hospital a few minutes before the monthly staff meeting. Sliding into the seats on either side of an obviously exhausted Callie, Arizona set a cup of coffee in front of her while Mark handed her a scone. Startled, the brunette raised her forehead off her hand to look at the offerings and then at the two new arrivals, a smile spreading on her face. "My heroes." She picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip, sighing contentedly before leaning over and placing a kiss on Arizona's cheek. "Hello pretty lady." She tucked a blonde lock of hair behind the other woman's ear and grinned as her girlfriend blushed before turning to her friend. "Hey Mark." She greeted him and took another sip of coffee before her brow furrowed and she set the cup down. "Wait…did you two come in together?" Since when did Arizona and Mark do anything voluntarily together? Not that she was complaining, but she looked at them suspiciously.

"We did…well we walked across the street together. You have fresh clothes in your locker by the way." Arizona smiled as she took a sip of her own coffee.

"We brought Sofia to daycare too. So whoever gets off first can just take her home." Mark added as he rested his elbows on the table. "Her bag is with her downstairs."

As the plastic surgeon moved his arms, Callie caught a flash of white out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw the gauze that was wrapped around Mark's forearm. "What happened?" She instinctually reached for his arm.

"Construction accident." He supplied with a small shrug.

"What?" Callie raised her eyebrows, confused by his response. She looked between the pediatric and plastic surgeons, waiting for clarification. Something was going on here...what were they up to?

Arizona shot Mark a genuine smile before sliding her hand down Callie's arm to grasp her hand. "Mark installed safety bars in your shower. Did you have any idea that he was going to do that?" She was still so grateful for what he had done. He had made it possible for her to stay overnight at her girlfriend's place which was more than she could have hoped for.

"What?" Callie asked again, looking to Arizona and then back to Mark. "No. Thank you!" She grinned widely. She had no idea that he had planned on making her apartment handicap accessible. Sure, she had mentioned needing to do it when they had last talked, but hadn't expected such a kind gesture.

Mark shrugged again, this time with a smile. "It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal Mark. And I appreciate it." Arizona leaned forward so she could see the plastic surgeon, giving him another smile.

The brunette looked back and forth between the pair. Despite her exhaustion, Callie was ecstatic that the two were getting along. Arizona sounded so genuinely touched by Mark's gesture and she was so grateful that he had taken it upon himself to surprise them. Looking at the bandage again, she had to wonder though how successful his endeavor had been. "So you cut yourself?"

He nodded.

"Do you need stitches?" Callie once again reached for Mark's arm.

The tall man shook his head. "Robbins did them…at your kitchen counter. I already told her, but Blondie here should have been a plastic surgeon." He shot Arizona another grin.

The blonde rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I like my tiny humans Mark. Thank you." Her attention was pulled away as Teddy slid into the empty seat beside her.

"Hey." The breathless cardio surgeon greeted her friend. She looked at her watch; the staff meeting was supposed to start in a minute. "How are you feeling?"

Arizona smiled, her hand still resting on Callie's as she faced her best friend. "So much better. Thank you. Oh and thank you for…" She was trying to thank the other blonde for providing Callie with her house key but was cut off as Dr. Webber stood up and cleared his throat.

Across the table, Bailey, Derek, and Hunt swiveled in their chairs to face the boss while the four surgeons on the other side of the table did the same. "Get ready to do a lot of standing around today." Bailey interjected as all conversations petered out. Her comment earned a chuckle from the assembled attendings and a smirk from the Chief.

"She's right people. Starting today, fifth year residents will rotate in as lead surgeons." He crossed his arms over his chest as he observed his staff.

"We've alerted the morgue." Callie quipped, her cheek resting on her hand while her other hand held Arizona's. This earned another laugh as Richard continued on.

"Attendings you are to observe and remain silent. Only help when you absolutely have to. Let them try to correct their own mistakes before you jump in to save the day." Another chuckle rippled through the attending surgeons. "The second order of business. Effective at 9:00 am this morning I have resigned as Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. I will be resuming my position as a general surgery attending…" He continued over the murmurs of confusion from his former staff, "I will turn the rest of this meeting over to the new Chief of Surgery, Dr. Owen Hunt."

Owen stood up to a smattering of confused applause and surprised looks, taking Richard's place at the head of the table as the former Chief of Surgery sat down. The trauma surgeon quickly addressed a few points before handing out the on-call schedules for the month and dismissing his new staff. As the attendings stood and pushed in their chairs the confused murmurs resumed. Arizona watched as Derek quickly rushed from the room and Bailey walked over to Dr. Webber, her arms crossed over her chest, her face unimpressed. Arizona figured if anyone could get to the bottom of the out of the blue staff change, it would be Miranda Bailey. Picking up her coffee, the blonde walked out of the staff room with Teddy, Callie, and Mark. "That's so sad. How long was he chief for?"

"Eleven years." Callie supplied. "Do you think it has to do with the Meredith Grey thing?" It had recently come to light that the junior surgeon had tampered with the clinical trial she was working on with Dr. Shepherd. The orthopedic surgeon didn't know the exact details of what had happened but she suspected that the fiasco was the reason for Richard's sudden step down as Chief.

The four surgeons stopped at the coffee cart in the atrium. Teddy leaned against the guard rail, resting on her elbows as she appraised her friends. "Probably. I just don't know what his deal is with her."

"I just don't know how this will affect the adoption." Arizona countered as she refilled her cup and dropped the appropriate change on the counter. "They're in the middle of trying to adopt one of the Malawi babies, Zola. I even recommended them…" The pediatric surgeon felt guilty for having doubts, but if Meredith Grey was willing to risk her career and risk the reputation of her family and hospital she didn't know if she should still support them as candidates for adopting her patient.

Mark sighed as he took her place at the counter, refilling his own cup. "Arizona, don't count them out yet. Okay?" He turned to face the pediatric surgeon as Callie and Teddy watched them curiously. "Derek really wants a kid."

Arizona nodded, she could understand. "I promise I won't do anything rash. We need more details anyways." She shrugged her shoulders, taking a sip of her coffee. "I still think they will be great parents." She saw both Callie and Mark smile at her before she turned to see Teddy who was flipping through the on-call schedule. "Planning your next date with Henry hmm?" The blonde couldn't resist teasing her friend. Since their first date in the bar several weeks ago, Teddy had seen the shipping clerk almost every night that she hadn't been working.

The cardio surgeon blushed and rolled her eyes. "No. Did you see that Owen has reinstated the annual Seattle Grace versus Seattle Pres softball game?" She held the schedule out. "None of us are on call next Thursday. Ooh I can pitch!" She pushed herself up from the guard rail, bouncing on the balls of her feet as Callie and Mark looked over to read the schedule that she was holding.

Mark snorted and Callie laughed too. "Yeah, I see that game going really well. Staff bonding." She rolled her eyes. "I think we're well pretty bonded." She smirked when she heard Arizona snort. Looking up at Mark, she asked, "Can you play softball? I can't play softball."

He shook his head. "Lexie does though." He looked wistful as he thought about his ex-girlfriend. "She played in college."

Callie and Teddy both shot him a sympathetic look but it was Arizona who spoke up. "Remember Mark, 4:00 OR 1 if you want to talk to her." She had to admit that she would like to see Mark and Lexie get back together. The man had been more grounded when he was with Little Grey and she thought that it would be good for him as a parent to get that back.

The plastic surgeon nodded his head with a smile. "Thanks Robbins." He took a sip of his coffee just as his pager went off. "Mm." He swallowed and read the device, "Let's see how many of my patients Avery messes up today. I gotta go. 4:00 OR 1." He confirmed as he walked off, clipping the black box to his hip.

Once he had disappeared down the hallway Callie and Teddy both turned to Arizona. Callie grinned as she slipped her hand into her girlfriend's. "Thank you for helping him." She placed a light peck on the shorter woman's cheek, earning a dimpled smile in return. They shared a moment before Teddy clearing her throat dragged them out of their silent communication. "So you pitch Teddy?" Callie's hand left Arizona's and travelled to the small of the blonde's back as the three woman started to walk down the hall to the elevators.

"Oh yeah." The cardio surgeon answered excitedly. "I'm great!" She reached out to press the call button. The two other women chuckled, earning a glare from the taller blonde. "You already said you can't play Callie and how 'bout you Arizona? Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow, challenging them as the trio stepped into the elevator car.

Arizona raised her eyebrows in regards to Teddy's question. "Yeah. Maybe a year ago. Not now." She gave a little half laugh as she turned around to face the doors that were sliding closed.

Teddy had to bite her tongue to keep herself from asking why the blonde thought she couldn't play and she caught Callie's eye before the two taller women looked down at the pediatric surgeon's scrub clad legs. Callie frowned as Arizona leaned forward to hit the buttons for each of their floors, her hand once again coming to rest on her girlfriend's back. "You didn't like when we went to the batting cage for ladies night."

Arizona tilted her head to look up at the brunette, a small smile playing on her lips. "Because I hate baseball. I do love softball though. I played in college."

"I didn't know that." Callie rubbed small circles on Arizona's back.

"So are you going to play in the game?" Teddy asked, sighing when the blonde shook her head.

Arizona gave her a smile too. "It's alright Teddy. I'll be your cheerleader. How 'bout that." The elevator dinged and the doors slid open on the pediatric ward. "I'll see you guys later. Love you." She pecked Callie on the lips before stepping out of the box.

As the doors slid shut behind the blonde, Callie let out a sigh, collapsing back against the rail in the elevator. She shot Teddy a pained look. "Do you think she's really alright with not being able to play?"

Teddy sighed, resting back against the wall until the doors slid open a few seconds later on her floor. She stepped out, resting against the frame to keep the door open. "I don't know." She shook her head. "Owen has a couple of amputee buddies from the Army that I know play sports. Maybe he can get her to play? But we don't even know if this is about the leg."

"It's about the leg." Callie ran a tired hand over her face. "She's been pretty happy lately. But I'm scared it's all going to come to a head."

"Well, if it does, all we can do is be there." Teddy smiled sympathetically before stepping back and letting the door close as the orthopedic surgeon continued her ascent to her floor.

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Arizona smiled as she approached the nurses' station. Anxious to see how the department had faired during her three day illness, she reached over the desk and grabbed the stack of charts. As she flipped through the patient information she heard several sets of footsteps approach. Looking up she found Lexie Grey and Alex Karev walking towards her, deep in conversation. Spinning around she grinned at the pair. "Hey!"

"Hey Robbins you're back!" Alex gave his boss a small smile as he rounded the desk and picked up a few charts.

"How are you feeling?" Lexie asked politely, smiling at the blonde.

The smile remained on Arizona's face. "Better. Thank you. It looks like you guys did great."

"It was all Alex really." Lexie offered up, grinning at the tall man who pursed his lips, trying not to smile as he focused on the charts.

"Looks like you've got a knack for peds Karev. How do you feel about doing Jack's gastric stimulator implant this afternoon? 4:00 OR 1." When the resident had started working with her she had initially been skeptical of his calling to pediatrics but now, she couldn't think of a better fit for the surgeon. "Fifth years are rotating in as lead surgeons today. Lexie can first assist. I'll be there to observe, but I think you got this. And, it'll look great for boards!" She bounced slightly in excitement, as well as she could with one real foot.

This time Alex did look up and couldn't contain his smile. "Really?"

"Really." She smiled at him. "How about you go prep. I'll be in my office if you have any questions alright?" The tiny humans of Seattle would be very lucky if Alex Karev decided to pursue a pediatric surgery fellowship.

He nodded his head eagerly. "Thanks Robbins!" Grabbing the patient's chart, he stepped out from behind the desk, still smiling as he walked down the hall towards the research library.

Arizona leaned back against the counter, smiling at her fourth year resident. "You did good work too Lexie. I appreciate it. Why don't you go ahead and help him research. I'll see you in the OR at 4:00." She started to walk towards her office as she heard the younger Grey sister shout out thanks.

The blonde continued smiling as she walked back to her office. It had been a good day. Between reconciling with Mark and the hard work her residents had put in, she was happy. She had her department back and things were moving along the right path with Callie. Pulling her cellphone out of her pocket she scrolled through unanswered emails before shooting a text to the brunette, asking her if she wanted to meet for lunch. She slipped the phone back in the pocket of her lab coat and looked up as she approached her office, stopping short when she noticed people waiting outside the closed door. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she spoke, "Mom? Dad?"

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**Hmm, what are the Robbins doing there? What about the softball game-will she play?**

**What do you want to see? I'll do my damndest to update tomorrow (don't hate me if I can't)**

**Let me know what you think!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	46. Part VII: Ch 10

**Thanks for your feed back on the last chapter. As promised, here is an update today-early this time because I start at 5:00 tomorrow morning *sigh*.**

**This chapter picks up right where the last left off. Thanks to Duvetsnuggler. Grey's Anatomy isn't mine.**

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_Pulling her cellphone out of her pocket she scrolled through unanswered emails before shooting a text to the brunette, asking her if she wanted to meet for lunch. She slipped the phone back in the pocket of her lab coat and looked up as she approached her office, stopping short when she noticed people waiting outside the closed door. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she spoke, "Mom? Dad?"_

"Hello Sweetheart." Daniel pulled his daughter into a hug as Barbara smiled on.

She returned the hug before kissing her mother's cheek. "What are you guys doing here?" Unlocking the door of her office, she ushered them inside, flipping on the lights. Arizona gestured for her parents to have a seat on the couch before hoisting herself onto the edge of her desk. She was confused. It wasn't that she wasn't excited to see her parents but she had no idea that they were coming to visit. And for the Colonel, the man with the schedule, it made the spontaneous visit even more strange.

"Well, you know how your father retired last year, and we always wanted to travel." Barbara started as she smiled at her daughter.

Arizona nodded her head, cringing internally. Her father's retirement had come as a result of her accident. Yes, her father, the Marine, was in his 70s but she had been sure that he would work until his dying day. Last December, when she'd come home minus a leg, the Colonel had tendered his resignation the next day. Even now it was something that she felt guilty about when she thought about how the plane crash had affected more lives than just her own. "So you came up to see me?" She looked between her parents, awaiting an answer.

Daniel nodded. "And we hadn't heard from you in a while."

"We're worried about you Arizona."

Her eyes opened wide in surprise. After her initial return to Seattle, she had talked to her parents almost every day. But now, as she was getting back into the swing of things, as she was learning to live with her disability, the calls had become less frequent. She hadn't noticed the change because it was the way things were before the crash, but hearing the concern in her parents' voices she could understand their worry. Arizona had been a train wreck when she'd come back to them. They had seen her at her absolute lowest point, drowning in despair and anger. They had been essential in building her back up to the person she was now. She remembered how, after completing physical therapy, she broached the topic of moving back to Seattle, recalling how her parents wanted her to stay in San Diego and get a job at one of the city hospitals. After losing their son and almost losing their daughter she could understand where they were coming from and she felt guilty for letting the lines of communication dwindle, especially after how supportive they had been. She studied her parents with a small smile. Arizona really did love them so much.

She lifted herself back off the desk and sat between her parents on the couch, throwing her arms around both of them and squeezing them tight. Her movements accidentally knocked her mother's purse off the armrest of the couch, sending it to the floor, a folder and various toiletries spilling out of it. "Ack, sorry." She bent over, picking it up and replacing the contents for mom before putting her arms much more carefully around her parents. "I should have called more. I'm sorry. I've just been really busy with work…and you know, running my department, I got it back last week."

She saw her parents smile, her mother kissing her cheek. "Congratulations Sweetheart. We are so proud of you. You know that right?"

Arizona nodded, a small blush coming over her cheeks as she looked between her parents. She heard her father clear his throat before he spoke as well, "You look good." He rubbed her back, smiling at his daughter. "How are you doing?"

She smiled widely. "I'm great dad. Everything is better. I'm…" She was interrupted by a knock on her doorframe. Leaning forward she saw Alex waiting for her with files.

"Oh. Sorry, I can come back." The resident started to back out of the office.

"No, no, Alex come in." Using her father's leg for leverage, the blonde pushed herself back off the couch and walked over to her student. "Alex, these are my parents, Mom, Dad, this is Dr. Alex Karev."

"It's nice to meet you." Alex said awkwardly. He didn't do family get togethers. He really just wanted his boss to answer his question so he could leave.

"Likewise." Daniel gruffed out while his wife smiled on kindly.

"Sorry, just give me a minute." Arizona stepped into the corner with Alex, taking the file from his hands. "What's up?"

"Okay so this kid is 6 years old. He's already had four abdominal surgeries for the gastroparesis. The most recent of which was done by Dr. Kenley just before you started working here."

"So he's been good for three years?"

"Yeah, but Dr. Kenley's chart note says that during the last surgery, Jack already had a lot of adhesions from the prior surgeries. These could have only gotten worse. I'm worried that when we open him up today it's going to look like chewing gum."

Arizona nodded, flipping through the chart note, nodding her head. "I know you know how to, but take Little Grey to the skills lab, make sure she can take down adhesions. Remember no blunt dissection. You want clean precise movements with the instruments. And I'll be there the whole time. But you've got this." She closed the chart and handed it back to him with a smile. "I'll see you in the OR."

The resident nodded, sticking the chart back under his arm. "Thanks. See ya." He walked back out of the room, awkwardly avoiding Arizona's parents' eyes.

The blonde shut her office door before she walked back over to her family and leaned against her desk. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be." Her mom smiled. "I like watching you work." Never having gotten a college degree herself, Barbara Robbins was so proud of her daughter, the doctor.

Her father, on the other hand was not smiling. His arms were crossed over his chest as he looked from the door that Alex had exited out of back to his daughter. "How come that kid is doing the surgery? Not you?" Daniel asked, his eyes traveled to the blonde's leg. "Do you not do surgeries anymore?"

She furrowed her brow. "Of course I do. But he is a fifth year resident and we are supposed to let them take the lead on surgeries this week. I was going to do the surgery initially, but he's good enough to do it. Plus it was his reward for keeping my department running when I was out sick last week." As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted it. If her parents had driven all this way just because she hadn't called in a few weeks, she didn't want to think of how they, well especially her mother, would react to hearing that she had been ill.

"You were sick. Why didn't you call us Arizona?" Yep, this is what she expected. Both parents looked at her with concern. It was the same look that she had seen so often from them during her recovery.

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "Because I am fine. I'm fine alright?" She stared them down, waiting for acknowledgement of her statement.

"Okay okay." Barbara put her hands up to placate the younger blonde. She knew she was being over protective of Arizona, but after everything her child had been through, she felt it was merited. "We're just worried."

The pediatric surgeon picked at her fingernails as she leaned against her desk, not making eye contact with her parents. ""I know. I'm sorry for snapping. It's just…things are finally getting back to normal and well… you know how I was before…"

"You don't like to be coddled." Daniel said, getting up and pulling his daughter into a hug. "You get that from me I think." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before releasing her and taking her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

She gave a little laugh. "Yeah." She paused in thought. Between the way her parents acted and the absolute randomness of their arrival, she was starting to get the feeling that there was more to her parents visit then a simple road trip. "So…" She started awkwardly, looking between her mom and dad who sat back on the couch next to his wife, "Um…well not that I'm not excited to see you, but I take it there's another reason for your visit? Her eyes were drawn to the manila folder that had spilled out of her mother's purse when she had accidentally knocked it over. She saw her parents share a look before turning back to her, her father speaking.

"Arizona, there is something we wanted to talk about." He paused, looking at his wife before looking back to his daughter. "Have you given any thought to future needs?"

Okay, she was confused again. "My what?"

Unperturbed, Daniel continued, "Your prosthetic, living arrangements, et. cetera."

"What are you saying?"

"Daniel," Barbara laid her hand gently on her husband's knee. "Why don't you just explain to her what you were thinking?"

He sighed, opening the folder and holding it out to his daughter. "You're going to need a prosthetic leg for the rest of your life."

"I'm aware." Arizona said dully as she took the folder from him, looking through the legal documents. Her stomach sank as she realized what he was implying. Her eyes scanned the black ink before flicking back up to her father who continued talking.

"And you are going to need things adapted. Plus lost wages. And the trauma you experienced." He spoke gently, "I talked with one of my old soldiers in the JAG corps and he recommended that you file a claim, asking for compensation for what you endured. He suggested…"

Her head spun as her father confirmed her fears. "You want me to sue?! The plane was a private owner. The pilots are dead! Who would I sue?" She felt her blood start to boil as she slammed the folder closed. Why the hell were they bringing this up now? Why? When she was finally happy. A lawsuit would just throw open all the doors that she was still struggling to hold closed. It would stir up old memories that she was dying to forget. The blonde tossed the folder back in her father's lap, fixing him with an angry glare as her mother stood and placed a light hand on her arm. She jerked back reflexively. "I'm not going to sue." Her voice was harsh.

"Arizona…" Her mother said in a calming voice. "Please just hear us out." She pleaded.

Daniel stood back up as well. "This isn't for us Arizona. It's for you. You went through something that no one should have to and you were gravely injured. You almost died."

The pediatric surgeon stared at him incredulously, her jaw slightly lowered. "Trust me, I didn't miss that part!" She snapped, rapping her knuckles on the plastic that made up her left thigh. Arizona saw her mother cringe as the hallow noise echoed through the small office.

"Arizona," Daniel said firmly, "I know you're upset but this is a good idea." He rested his hand on Barbara's back, rubbing soothing circles.

"No!" the younger blonde whirled on him, "No it's a terrible idea. It's…" She was cut off as the overhead intercom crackled to life, her pager blaring simultaneously.

"_Arizona Robbins and Callie Torres to the ER stat. Drs. Robbins and Torres to the ER stat."_

The blonde threw her hands up in frustration and growled as she stomped over to the door. "I have to go. We're not done talking about this. I will meet you in the cafeteria when I'm done." She held open the door for them to exit, turning her pager off as she waited. If there was anything else Arizona Robbins had inherited from her Marine father, it was her ability to put her foot down. She watched her parents file out past her, both of them looking at her with pleading eyes before she shut the door and walked the other way, her hands shoved in her pockets as she stormed off towards the Emergency Room.

* * *

**Arizona needs to open those doors with Callie. Plus the Robbins will definitely recognize Callie's name. What happens when they meet her?**

**What happens next?**

**Let me know what you think!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	47. Part VII: Ch 11

Arizona and Callie made it to the trauma bay at the same time, donning the yellow trauma gowns and gloves as the blaring sirens grew louder and louder until an ambulance screeched to a stop in front of them. The paramedics hopped out, running around to the back and wheeling out a stretcher. "Brian Dane, 17 year old male. Hit and run off of Dover Rd. He was riding his bike when he was rammed into a ditch." The paramedic rattled off the report as Callie and Arizona grabbed sides of the stretcher to rush the patient into the trauma room. "Pelvis is crushed, open fracture of the left radius ad ulna, left sided flail chest. We attempted intubation two times in the field but there was too much blood." They parked the stretcher in the trauma room and the paramedic continued. "On my count, 1-2-3." In a smooth motion the paramedic and the surgeons lifted the back boarded boy off of the stretcher and onto the trauma gurney. "He was wearing a helmet, conscious upon arrival, lost consciousness in the rig." They started to remove the straps as several interns entered the room, standing at the ready for orders from the attending surgeons.

Arizona quickly hooked the boy up to the cardiac monitor, allowing the blood pressure to cycle as she grabbed a pair of trauma shears to cut away the patient's clothing. She was aware of Callie standing beside her, assessing the pelvis. She heard her girlfriend call out to the interns to get some O-negative blood as the monitor started to beep wildly. "He's in v-fib. Paddles." The defibrillator paddles were put in her hands. "Charge to 200." She rubbed the gel onto the paddles as they charged. Once she heard the high pitched whirl she applied them to the boy's chest. "Clear!" She stared up at the monitor, holding her breath until a regular rhythm appeared. "He's back. Push Epi and Atropine." She handed the paddles to an intern as she made eye contact with Callie. "I've got to take care of his chest. You have the pelvis?"

Callie nodded. "Yeah." She looked away from her girlfriend and hollered to the room. "Where the hell is that blood!"

"Chest tube tray. 28 French. Intubate him!" Arizona called out as she sloshed betadine onto the boy's chest. Out of her peripheral vision she saw one of the interns tilt the patient's head back and slide in an endotracheal tube before hooking him up to the ambu bag. She made the incision and popped the catheter into the pleural cavity, blood spilling out onto the table and spraying onto her shoes. "He's got a hemo…" She looked at Callie who was tying a bed sheet around her patient's waist in an attempt to stabilize the pelvis.

"He's bleeding into his pelvis too. Start the rapid infuser." The orthopedic surgeon instructed the intern before she looked back at Arizona as she yanked the sheet tight. "We need to get him to the OR ASAP."

Arizona nodded her head as she quickly sutured in the chest tube. As she tied the last stitch and they removed the breaks to transport the gurney the monitor started to beep rapidly. "We're losing him again." She started chest compressions, trying to get his heart restarted. Stepping back so an intern could shock him, she resumed compressions as soon as the charge had passed. "OR now!"

She started to move with the gurney, stopping as she bumped into Callie. "Here. Here!" Callie grabbed the petite blonde at the waist, lifting her up. "Bend your knee." She helped the peds surgeon climb onto the gurney so she could straddle the patient's stomach. Arizona leaned to the right as Callie bent the knee of the prosthetic before she straightened up and resumed pumping the chest. They barely missed a beat, the maneuver was quick and precise, performed by two people who were completely in tune with one another.

As Callie and the other doctors pushed the gurney quickly through the ER towards the elevators, Arizona continued compressions, trying desperately to keep her patient alive. Arriving on the surgical floor, the team raced into the OR. When the gurney stopped, the blonde felt herself being lifted off the boy by Callie's strong arms as an intern took over compressions. Once the peds surgeon was back on her feet she grabbed the defibrillator paddles. "Hold compressions." She stared at the monitor, waiting for it to depict the boy's own cardiac activity. The monitor beeped wildly as fibrillations once again ran across the screen. "V-fib, charge to 230." The intern resumed compressions until the machine was charged. "Clear!" Arizona shocked him and stared back up at the monitor. "Still V-fib. Push more Epi, prepare to charge again to 260." She waited until the drugs were administered before repositioning the paddles. "Clear!" A shock once again coursed through the boy's body. As the shock dissipated, a high pitched squeal emanated from the monitor. "Asystole!" There was a scramble as interns rushed to resume compressions and add pressure to the blood infusers, trying anything to bring their patient's heart back. The order came again for compressions to be held as Arizona studied the monitor. The flat line morphed back into the erratic zig-zag of v-fib. "Charge to 280." The shriek echoed in her ears as she barked out her order. Yet another shock, and there was no change as the monitor continued to flat line. Compressions were restarted and they went through another round of drugs and compressions before getting back to v-fib and receiving another shock. Arizona looked at the clock. "How long as he been down for?"

"23 minutes."

"Arizona, we need to stop the bleeders." That was Callie, untying the sheet that held the pelvis together.

"Keep going." The blonde instructed the interns as she grabbed a scalpel off the instrument tray and stood on the opposite side of the table from Callie. When she saw the brunette nod, she dug her knife into the skin, opening up the pelvic cavity. "Suction. I can't see anything." The requested tool was inserted by a nurse as Callie and Arizona quickly tried to throw clamps on any leaks that they could find. After about a minute of working, they raised their hands. The monitor still showed runs of v-fib. "Get ready to shock again at 300."

Another shock, another flat line. "He's back in asystole." Callie reported as she grabbed one of the blood transfusers, squeezing it to make it go faster.

As Callie did that, Arizona peered into the pelvis. "Our clamps are holding. He just doesn't have enough blood." The body rocked as a doctor pumped the patient's chest.

"We've replaced his whole blood volume."

Arizona stared at the monitor. "Hold compressions." She willed the cardiac line to show a rhythm, a blip, anything. Nothing. "Resume compressions. In a minute push more epi." Compressions continued and the drugs were administered. Five minutes later and another round of epinephrine, the cardiac monitor still emitted the constant shriek of asystole. The blonde sighed, looking at her watch. "Time of death, 11:42 am." Snapping off her gloves and ripping off her gown she shoved them in a trashcan as she strode out of the room.

Her shoes squeaked as she walked through the halls, on her way to the elevator. Looking down, she realized they were covered in blood. "Great. That's just fantastic." She growled under her breath as she started to walk again. She almost made it to the elevator before another squeaky pair of shoes caught up with her. Spinning around, she found herself face to face with an out of breath Callie Torres.

Wordlessly, Callie slipped her hand into the blonde's as they stepped into the elevator, on their way to the attending's lounge.

As they rode up the elevator shaft, Arizona turned to look at her girlfriend. "My parents are here."

Callie's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"Yeah." She didn't elaborate, her mood was already foul enough without going into the details of her parents' surprise visit. She ran a hand through sweaty blonde hair as they stepped out of the elevators. Silently, she glowered at everything until they were behind the closed doors of the attendings' lounge. Once she was sure they were alone, she spun around. "Fuck!" She aimed a kick at the trashcan, sending it toppling over as she almost lost her balance herself. She felt Callie's strong arms surround her in a powerful embrace.

Alarmed, Callie pressed kisses into the blonde's hair. "Arizona, Arizona, calm down." She held her tight as she heard her girlfriend let out a sob in her arms. Arizona always took losing patients hard. Who didn't when it came to kids? But this was something new altogether. She stepped back and looked at the crying woman. Arizona's pants and shoes were splattered with blood so she moved her hands to the blonde's waist, undoing the tie of her scrub pants.

"Who fucking hits a kid with a car and drives off Calliope?" She held onto the brunette's shoulders as she was helped out of her pants.

Callie tossed the bloody pants in the hamper before placing a kiss on Arizona's forehead. "There are some horrible people in this world Arizona." She sat her girlfriend down on the couch before kneeling in front of her. "Can I take off your shoes? They've got blood on them."

Arizona nodded, still holding Callie's shoulder as she felt the brunette remove her right shoe before she saw her start to untie the left. While Callie worked, Arizona stripped out of her scrub top, leaving her sitting on the couch in her spandex shorts and tank-top. Her mind was spinning as different emotions overwhelmed her. She was sad about her patient and angry about the circumstances of his demise. Furthermore she was still furious at her parent's suggestion to sue…someone...because of the plane crash. What business of it was theirs? She didn't want to sue. She wanted to bury that part of her life and move on but they just brought it back to the forefront. As she dwelled on their intentions, she winced as a lightning bolt of pain shot through her thigh.

Callie set the shoes in the sink so that she could wash them off. She wet a washcloth and turned back to the seated blonde, seeing her face contort in pain as she grasped her thigh. Rushing back to her side, she resumed her kneeling position. "Can I help you?" She gently laid her hand on her girlfriend's, peering up at her with nothing but love and concern.

Arizona bit her lip and nodded her head as tears started to brim in her eyes. She helped Callie unstrap the leg, but held on the liner as Callie tried to remove it. "Please…"

Callie nodded her head, knowing that now was not the time to argue. She laid her hands on Arizona's leg, providing squeezing and alternating pressure to different parts of the residual limb through the liner. "When was the last time you had a pain episode?"

The peds surgeon shut her eyes, thinking back to the most recent episode as she started to relax under Callie's touch. "A week ago. But not this bad. It hasn't been this bad since the on-call room." Arizona referenced back to the day Callie had found out about the leg.

Callie cringed at the memory. "You have emotional triggers?"

Arizona nodded her head, reaching her hand forward to once again grab Callie's shoulder. As she grasped a handful of the dark blue scrub top, she let out a relieved sigh as Callie put pressure in all the right places. "I've been better lately. I'm just…" She trailed off, not wanting to get into the reason of her parent's visit.

The brunette smiled up at her sympathetically as she continued her therapeutic massage. "I love you Arizona. You know that right?"

Arizona twitched her lips into a small smile. "Yeah. I do. I love you too Calliope. Today…just is an awful day."

Callie nodded her head. "Do you want to talk about…" Her offer to help was cut off by a knock on the door. Looking up, past the blonde, she saw the door open a crack.

"Arizona?" A voice outside the door called, the door being pushed open wider to reveal a man Callie didn't recognize.

"Arizona, Dr. Hunt told me you were in here. I wanted to talk to you about earlier. Your mother and I…" Daniel Robbins paused as he took in the scene before him. His daughter sat on the couch, her back towards him. He saw her turn to look over her shoulder as her name was called.

Callie's eyebrows shot up as she realized that this mountain of a man was Arizona's dad. She leapt to her feet as she made eye contact with her girlfriend's father.

The blonde scrambled to turn and face him, still on the couch. "Dad! What are you…"

Colonel Robbins registered his daughter's tear streaked face and minimal clothing before recognizing the woman who stood beside her. He had seen pictures of Callie Torres. Images of her and his daughter together, smiling and in love. He had also been there for five months when Callie Torres had, in his mind, abandoned his daughter, leaving Arizona in her time of need. He felt his blood begin to boil as he looked at the woman, whose hand rested protectively on the blonde's shoulder. He growled, fixing her with an angry glare that came from years of practice before hissing out, "Get the hell away from my daughter."

* * *

**Daddy Robbins is a little upset. Callie will be a little upset. And Arizona is pissed and in pain. Makes for interested story telling.**

**What would you like to see next?**

**Please let me know what you think. Motivation helps me write faster!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	48. Part VII: Ch 12

**Wow, thank you all for your reviews on the last chapter. You blew me away.**

**Here's the next chapter. Mostly fluff. Also it ends the section VII that I am renaming "Calzona Courtship." So Part VIII to come soon.**

**Also thanks to the guest reviewer who corrected my medical error in the last chapter. I've revised it. I don't know what I was thinking-clearly I wasn't because I knew it was wrong as I was typing it. It just didn't occur to me to change it (told you, sleep deprived).**

**All mistakes are mine. I'm sleep deprived so don't be surprised if there are more than usual. **

* * *

_The blonde scrambled to turn and face him, still on the couch. "Dad! What are you…"_

_Colonel Robbins registered his daughter's tear streaked face and minimal clothing before recognizing the woman who stood beside her. He had seen pictures of Callie Torres. Images of her and his daughter together, smiling and in love. He had also been there for five months when Callie Torres had, in his mind, abandoned his daughter, leaving Arizona in her time of need. He felt his blood begin to boil as he looked at the woman, whose hand rested protectively on the blonde's shoulder. He growled, fixing her with an angry glare that came from years of practice before hissing out, "Get the hell away from my daughter."_

In a flash, Arizona had on clean scrub pants and had replaced her prosthetic and was now moving rapidly towards her father. "Dad, don't!" She matched his glare as she stood between her father and her girlfriend. "Don't yell at her. Callie did nothing wrong."

"She wasn't there for you. You were miserable"

Arizona turned to look at the brunette, taking a step closer to her. She saw the guilt flash through Callie's brown eyes and cringed at the heartbroken look on her face. "I'm the one who left her in an airport dad. She was miserable too." She closed the gap between herself and the orthopedic surgeon, taking Callie's hand in hers. _'I love you.'_ She mouthed.

Callie gave her a small smile, squeezing her hand tightly, before looking towards the intimidating man. "Mr. Robbins, I love your daughter. I made a huge mistake by not picking up the phone when she called me and I regret it every day." Her eyes flashed back to Arizona's as they filled with tears. "I don't plan on ever letting her go again." The couple stared at each other, gathering strength from the other's presence until a gruff voice interrupted them.

"It's Colonel Robbins to you." Daniel still stood fixed in the doorway, staring down the orthopedic surgeon. Despite his daughter's words, he wasn't ready to change his opinion of her girlfriend. "And Dr. Torres, I do not trust you. So I…"

The hair on the back of Arizona's neck prickled as she heard the cool tone with which her father spoke. He may be an American hero, a Colonel in the Marine Corps, her father…but he could _not_ speak to Callie that way. She spun back around to face her dad. "Stop! Give her a chance." She gestured behind herself to Callie. "We all make mistakes dad. I made a huge one which is what started this whole mess in the first place. I love her. Can't you see that? I am finally getting myself back." She laid a hand on her chest as she continued to talk to her father. "I'm finally starting to feel happy again. I'm finally starting to feel like I can maybe be something like the person I was before the plane crash. And Calliope is a huge part of that." She blinked back tears as she walked back over to her girlfriend, taking Callie's arm and wrapping it around her waist so that her back was pressed against the Latina's chest. She could feel Callie's warm breath on the back of her neck. "Don't you think I deserve to be happy dad? After all the crap I've been through this year?"

Daniel Robbins was not a man whose perception of people changed easily but his gaze softened as he registered his daughter's words. Before he could say anything the blonde continued rambling.

"All of that crap, the plane, the desert, the physical therapy. And you and mom have to come bring up a lawsuit?" She tightened her grip on Callie's arm. "I know. I know you think it's for my own good. And you and mom took care of me when I was…crazy. So I will hear you out. But so will Callie. It's not going to happen now though. Callie and I are still working. So, I'm going to finish getting changed and then I will take you and mom to my condo. I am staying with Callie tonight so you can use my place instead of getting a hotel. You can sit." She gestured to the break room table and walked over to the shelf to grab another scrub top which she threw on over her tank top. As she pulled her curly blonde hair back into a ponytail, she heard the water running and looked over to see Callie rinsing the blood off her shoes in the sink.

Callie could feel Daniel's eyes burning into her as she brought the shoes back to their owner. "Sit." She whispered gently. Once the blonde was seated, Callie kneeled down in front of her and helped her force her rubber foot back into the shoe.

"Thank you." Arizona took her other shoe and slid it on before standing up, pulling the brunette back to her feet as well. Maintaining her hold on Callie's hand, Arizona turned back to her father. "Come on. We're leaving." She looked back up at her girlfriend, releasing the hold on her arm. "My next surgery isn't until 4:00. You?"

"4:30."

Arizona smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. "What do you say to picking up Sofia from daycare and coming to get me from my condo then taking me out to lunch?" Her hand came up and played with a lock of the Latina's hair. She lightly twirled it around her finger, watching it spring back up as she released it.

Despite the tension in the room and the glare that was still being thrown her way by her girlfriend's father, Callie couldn't help but smile too. "It's a date." She pressed a light kiss to Arizona's lips before nervously side stepping around Daniel and walking out the door.

The blonde sighed and frowned when Callie left, already missing the contact, and turned to face her father. "Come on." She led him out of the room, rapidly pacing down the hall towards the exit. "Tell mom to meet us at the car." She walked in front of him as he made the call before feeling his presence beside her after he'd hung up.

"Arizona…"

She sighed again. "We're not talking about the lawsuit. Not until I can talk to Callie. Because if I have to go through this, I'm going to need her. You have no idea what happened to me out there dad." She felt her father's strong hand on her arm, gently slowing down her rapid pace.

"Then talk to us Arizona."

She stopped walking and turned to face him. "I can't. Don't you get that? It's too hard for me. I'm happy now and all that talking about it will do is ruin any progress I've made." Her blue eyes looked pleadingly up at her father, begging for him to understand. She held his gaze briefly before turning back around and walking towards the exit.

Jogging a few steps to catch up with her, Daniel looked down at his daughter. "I get it Arizona. I do." As a Vietnam and Gulf War veteran he could understand her reluctance to talk about her traumatic experience. He rested a hand lightly on her back as they walked outside. "But shoving it all under a rug can come back to bite you later." He issued a gentle warning as he unlocked the car and held open the back door for her.

Arizona slid into the back seat of the sedan, grasping her prosthetic with both hands in order to maneuver it into the cramped space.

Daniel frowned as he watched the blonde buckle her seatbelt. "Do you want to sit in the front?"

"I'm fine. Where's mom." Arizona just wanted to get her parents home so that she could see Callie and Sofia.

The elder Robbins pointed back towards the building and Arizona turned to see her mother walking towards them as her father got in the car.

"Hello Sweetheart." Barbara leaned in the back seat and gave Arizona a kiss on the forehead before getting in the seat in front of her. She buckled in and both women shut their doors before Daniel started driving. Once they were on the right road, Barbara turned in her seat to look at her daughter. "Arizona, I'm sorry we upset you earlier. We just…"

The younger blonde held up her hand. "It's fine." She said tiredly. "We'll talk about it later. Turn here dad." She sat back and watched the houses go by as her father drove towards her neighborhood. She knew that she shouldn't be moody with her parents, especially after everything that they had done for her. But after fighting with them in her office, losing a kid in her OR, and having her dad yell at her girlfriend Arizona felt like the funk she was in was justified. They drove for several more minutes in silence before, "Turn right here. Second parking spot on the left." She unbuckled the seatbelt when the car stopped. Opening the door, she extended her right leg first before dragging her prosthetic behind her, holding onto the roof of the car as she pulled herself out. Digging her keys out of her pocket she led her parents up the stairs to her condo and opened the door. She followed them in, turning to shut the door just in time to see Callie's SUV pull into the adjacent spot.

Now there was something that could pull her out of her bad mood! She left the door open, going back down the stairs to the black SUV. Opening the driver's door, she wordlessly pressed a kiss to Callie's cheek before opening the back door and lifting Sofia out of her car seat. "Hi baby." She grinned at the little raven haired girl, bringing her up so she could kiss her head before cradling her in her arms. "I missed you." She started to walk back to her condo, Callie trailing after her with the diaper bag. The brunette's gorgeous laugh echoed behind her.

"Oh, so you're excited to see her and not me? I see how it is." She caught up to Arizona, a teasing smile on her face.

The blonde turned at the foot of the stairs and grinned at her. "I am always excited to see you Calliope. But I haven't seen little miss here since before I got sick." She looked up to see her parents staring at them from the doorway. Rolling her eyes as she turned back to Callie, she frowned at the nervous look on her girlfriend's face. "They will have to love you. Because I do." She shifted the drowsy baby into one arm and linked her free hand with Callie's as they started to ascend the stairs. Once they were inside, she lead the three adults to the living room, gesturing for everyone to have a seat. "Dad, you already met her, but mom, this is Calliope. My girlfriend." She smiled lovingly up at the brunette as she cradled Sofia in her arms.

They sat side by side, their hips pressed against each other, Callie's hand resting on the small of Arizona's back. Barbara could see the happiness on her daughter's face when she talked about the Latina. A happiness that had been missing ever since last December when her daughter's plane fell out of the sky. She had hated the brunette too when Callie never answered Arizona's calls when the blonde was recovering. But now, seeing the way the other woman looked so lovingly at her daughter, she felt all that hate dissipate. Arizona did not make commitments lightly and if she was sitting here, saying that she was in love with this woman, then Barbara loved her too. The elder blonde offered the nervous orthopedic surgeon a smile. "It's nice to finally meet you Callie." She heard her husband grumble beside her and swatted his leg. "Daniel, Callie is part of the family now. So you can drop the whole big bad Marine thing." She reprimanded the man as Callie's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Arizona snickered, lowering her head to press another kiss into Sofia's hair to hide her grin.

Daniel sighed and leaned forward, studying the trio in front of him carefully. "Okay then. Who is the little one?" Judging by the fact that the raven haired child looked just like the brunette that sat across from him he had no doubt that Callie was the baby's mother.

Arizona smiled and turned the baby so that Sofia could gaze sleepily at the older couple. "Mom, dad, this is Callie's daughter." She caught her father open his mouth, about to speak. "And, before you say anything. We were broken up. I broke up with her actually. So you can't get mad at her. This is between me and Callie. So don't say anything okay?"

Callie stared at her girlfriend in awe. She was touched by her girlfriend's adamant defense of her to her parents. She knew that neither of them were faultless in the relationship and like Arizona said, they'd had that discussion. They'd made their peace with the situation and they were in a stronger relationship for it. But she was amazed by Arizona's deflection of blame from Callie onto herself. The blonde wasn't going to let anyone say anything negative about her girlfriend and Callie had never felt so loved or protected in her life.

Ignoring her husband's grumpy demeanor, Barbara had a bright smile on her face that rivaled her daughter's signature dimpled grin. She stood and made her way over to the two women and the infant. "What is this cutie pie's name?" She asked, sticking her arms out. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course." Callie lifted Sofia from Arizona's arms and held her out to Barbara so that the younger blonde could stay seated. "Her name is Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres." She smiled when she heard Arizona's surprised intake of breath. Turning she saw blue eyes staring up at her in surprise.

'Robbin?' Arizona mouthed. That hadn't been on the birth certificate she'd signed.

"You saved her life Arizona. You started her heart. Mark asked if we could add the name when you started helping me with physical therapy. Other than me and Mark, nobody has been more involved in Sofia's life than you. It's only right that she shares her name with someone so special.

* * *

**A lot of you asked for Sofia to still have Robbin as her middle name. Considering Meredith named her son Bailey after Dr. Bailey saved her life, I feel like this is also fitting for this story and allows it to match up with cannon.**

**Like I said, this is the end of part VII. Arizona is clearly in love with Callie and Callie is clearly in love with her. The only problem is we don't know if Arizona loves herself. How will the lawsuit affect things? How will the challenges of playing softball affect things? Will she play?**

**I am suffering from some major writer's block right now so advice, encouragement, ideas, insane ramblings, whatever you want, would be very helpful. I want to get a new chapter out in the next few days so I need some serious help because my brain stopped working.**

**Please let me know what you think. I appreciate all of you who have followed the story thus far. More to come!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	49. Part VIII: Ch 1

**I pushed through the obnoxious writer's block and was able to get this chapter out. Still struggling with what comes next though :-/ I know what I want to happen. I just don't know how to do it. It's frustrating. Ugh.**

**Anyways, enough of me whining. Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

**I don't own Grey's or any books/movies/cultural references/drugs/surgical techniques/etc. that are mentioned in this chapter.**

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After a pleasant lunch at a downtown café, Arizona and Callie returned to the hospital to prepare for their surgeries. Before parting and going to their respective floors, the couple dropped Sofia back at daycare and Callie got to watch with a grin as Arizona kissed and tickled her daughter, causing the infant to burst out in squeals of laughter. With that happy noise still in their ears, they shared a wordless kiss and a flirty grin before Arizona stepped out of the elevator on her floor, leaving Callie in the elevator car to ride up the remaining three floors to ortho.

With a couple hours remaining until the surgery she was supervising, Arizona rounded on her patients that she'd missed during her four day sick leave. Making a lap around the peds ward, she finished in her favorite patient's room. It had been a week since Abbie's surgery and the little girl looked better than Arizona could have ever imagined. The blonde knew that she hadn't looked this good a week after her amputation. Granted, she'd had a major infection, had barely survived the surgery, and ended up committed to psych…so maybe Arizona shouldn't compare Abbie's recovery to her own. "Hey kiddo." Arizona leaned on the doorframe, a big smile plastered on her face.

Her head snapped up from the book she was reading. "Arizona, you're back!"

The blonde chuckled and walked further into the room, nodding a greeting to Abbie's parents. "I'm back."

"Do you feel better?" She dog eared the page she had been reading and set the book on the bedside table.

"Much." Her eyes traveled to the book that Abbie had placed beside her, her eyebrows shooting up. "_The Count of Monte Cristo_. Wow, I don't think I read that until I was in 11th grade. You must be really smart!" Her hand went to the yellow lever on the back of the bed. "Let me check your incisions."

The brunette giggled as Arizona laid down the head of her bed. "I like to read…I have a lot of time to read now." She tilted her chin down to her chest and tried to watch what her doctor was doing. "Did you read a lot when you were recovering?"

The stitches in the girl's face had come out the day before and her abdomen was healing well. "No…" Arizona pulled back the covers and checked the sutures that ran along the bottom of Abbie's leg before tucking the girl back in and raising her back to a seated position. "I was too sick to do much of anything for a long time. I spent about two months in the hospital."

Abbie's eyebrows shot up. "Am I going to have to spend two months here?"

Arizona raised her eyebrows too to mimic her patient. "Well are you sick?" She asked playfully, placing her hands on her hips.

"No." The girl said with a little laugh.

The blonde scrunched up her nose and gave a little laugh too. "I didn't think so. No. You'll spend _maybe_ another week here. And that's only because of the surgery we did on your belly. Everything looks great Abbie." She looked up towards the girl's parents who were watching the interaction. "She's going to be walking in no time. Kids…" She looked back at Abbie and smiled again, "Sorry, young adults," she corrected herself, "learn how to use a prosthetic limb much quicker than adults do. They're more agile, better balance, and all that. They can usually relearn almost everything in half the time it takes someone my age."

"How long did it take you?" Abbie asked curiously.

"About five months just to walk unaided." Arizona nodded her head at the shocked look on the girl's face. "But remember, I said I was really sick."

"Why were you so sick?" The patient quickly countered.

Arizona's brow furrowed at the question and her jaw tensed. They were coming a little too close to that 'jar of worms' that the blonde had shoved in the back of her mental closet.

"Abbie, sweetheart…" Her father started gently. "I think that's something private for Dr. Robbins."

"But I was just curious." She said innocently.

Arizona sighed softly, she could recognize genuine child curiosity when she heard it and this was it. There was no malice or judgment hidden behind Abbie's question, just the desire to know how a broken leg can make someone so sick. "It's okay." She said softly. "Remember how I told you I was in a plane crash?" She saw the girl's head bob up and down. "No one found me for four days and I had an open femur fracture. Sitting outside those four days, in the dirt and the rain…I got a blood infection."

"Oh." Came Abbie's quiet reply.

Arizona could feel the girl's parents looking at her in horror. She cleared her throat and scrunched up her face. "But let's not talk about that." She plastered a smile on her face. "Why don't you focus on you. And focus on getting better." She tapped the girl's nose. "I'm going to have Dr. Moore come talk to you okay? He's the prosthetist. And we will work on getting you up and walking." She picked up the paperback off of the nightstand and held it out to her young patient. "You enjoy that book Miss Abbie. I have to go start getting ready for surgery but I'll see you again soon okay?"

Arizona was met with that brilliant grin again from her young patient. "Okay!" Abbie opened her book up before looking back up at the blonde. "Thank you Arizona. I hope your surgery goes well."

With a genuine smile Arizona nodded her head as she backed out of the room. "Thanks." She gave a little wave and with that she was back in the hall, walking towards her office. The grin was wiped off her face when a twinge of pain suddenly shot from her thigh up to her hip. "Ow." She whispered as her steps faltered. She grabbed and squeezed at the back of her thigh just above the socket before taking another step, deciding to bypass her office and head for the elevator. Punching in the floor for ortho she leaned back against the wall as she continued to squeeze at her aching leg.

By the time the doors slid open, the pain had mostly abated and her breathing had normalized. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she stepped out of the car and headed down the hall, seeking out her girlfriend. Able to forget her pain at the sight of Calliope Torres, another grin spread on her face as she saw the brunette at the end of the hall, discussing a chart with one of the interns. She waited until the chart was closed and handed back to the junior doctor before she slid up beside Callie. Placing a hand on the small of the taller woman's back, Arizona felt Callie automatically lean into her. "Hi pretty lady."

Brown eyes flashed to blue and a smile spread on Callie's face as she turned and grasped Arizona's hand in her own. She gently pulled the blonde back down the hall towards her office, shutting the door once they were both inside. The brunette grinned when she saw Arizona looking expectantly up at her. "I had a great time at lunch today Arizona." She brought her hand up and played with one of the loose blonde curls that had spilled out of Arizona ponytail.

"Me too." Arizona grinned as she wrapped her arms around the brunette, holding her loosely at the waist.

Callie's smile took on a serious edge as she dropped her hand from Arizona's hair to her upper arm. "Are we going to talk about the lawsuit?" Arizona had mentioned it in the attendings' lounge and again briefly at the café but when Callie had asked a follow up question the topic was quickly changed. She was concerned about how this would affect her girlfriend.

"Mmm…nope." Arizona pressed her lips to Callie's, pulling the brunette up against her. Once they parted, Arizona looked back up at the ortho surgeon. "Not today." A mild twinge of pain shot into her leg and she shook her head to dispel it, continuing on, "Today Mark did something nice for us. I got to see Sofia, who I found out you named after me. I got to go on a date with you. Karev is doing his first solo surgery. I get to spend the night in your apartment…so nope. Today is a good day." She moved her hands from Callie's waist to grab the lapels of her lab coat before pulling her down for another kiss.

Breathless when they parted, Callie looked down at the petite blonde, grinning at pink lips that were swollen from Callie's teeth. "Today is a very good day." She reached up to tuck that errant curl of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Arizona shifted her weight as she watched Karev make the opening incision on his first solo patient. Once he had cut through the flesh shell, she found her eyes wandering up to the gallery where she saw Mark Sloan staring down into the OR.

Catching his eye, she looked at Lexie who was cauterizing the superficial bleeders as Alex cut, before looking back up at the plastic surgeon. She sighed when she saw him shake his head and gave him a look that she hoped could express sympathy even through a surgical mask before turning back to observe her resident's surgery.

After an hour of standing and observing Alex and Lexie work, Arizona felt another twinge of pain shoot through her thigh. She clamped down on her tongue to keep from letting out a whimper as her hand flew to the back of her thigh and squeezed at the burning muscle. Why was this happening! She shut her eyes, trying to breathe through the unexpected pain, only opening them when it had dissipated. Her pain normally had an emotional trigger. But today was a good day…except for the stress from the impending talk with her parents…

She focused back on the surgery once the pain was gone, trying to dispel it from her mind. Shifting her weight between her prosthetic and her foot she clenched and unclenched her muscles to try and prevent another pain surge. Her technique was successful for another half an hour until pain shot into a foot that was no longer there. "Aah!" She couldn't help the pained gasp that escaped her lips as she grabbed onto the wall to keep her legs from bucking under her. It felt like someone had plunged a knife into the top of her foot.

Her behavior didn't go unnoticed by the two operating surgeons or by the rest of the surgical staff as the operation paused and every set of eyes turned to look at her. "Hey Robbins, are you okay?" That was Karev, who was looking worriedly at his boss over his surgical mask, his tools frozen in midair.

"Yep. Yeah…" Came the blonde's pained reply, her eyes squeezed shut as she felt the knife rip through her ankle and into her calf. Taking all the weight off her prosthetic she collapsed into the wall, holding herself up with her good leg.

"Somebody fricken' do something." Alex commanded as he looked at the rest of the surgical staff. "Get her a chair."

Arizona shook her head before yelping as the pain surged again and the knife plunged into the back of her knee, slicing all the way through and plowing into the back of her phantom knee cap. As she started to hyperventilate she was vaguely aware of Lexie stripping off her gloves and rushing to her side, pulling a chair over as the OR door flew open and Mark ran in. The blonde tried to push herself back off the wall so that she could stand and pivot into the chair when the knife suddenly did a 360 and took her phantom leg off at the knee. Even though it was a leg that wasn't there, even though it was a leg that was replaced by metal, Arizona felt everything from the knee down of her amputated leg fall away and go completely numb. Despite the fact that she still had the support of her artificial limb, her knees, real and fake, buckled as the intense pain caused her vision to swim.

Bracing for impact she had a brief moment of surprise when strong arms surrounded her, preventing her from hitting the floor, before her eyes rolled back in her head and everything went black.

* * *

**A lot of you asked for a return of the phantom pain and a stressor such as the lawsuit which she really doesn't want to deal with is a perfect catalyst for that. This is going to force her and Callie to rip the bandage off as it were and really get to some of the nitty gritty that is preventing them from achieving complete intimacy.**

**Please please please let me know what you think. It makes my day :-) **

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	50. Part VIII: Ch 2

**Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter. Y'all are amazing. **

**WARNING: this chapter contains "the talk" between Callie and Arizona. There are some disturbing themes so please read with caution. It was hard for me to write and it will likely be hard to read. But from survival documentaries I have watched, I feel like it is a necessary point to address.**

**Secondly, please don't hate me if I disappear for a couple days. I'm working my hardest on this story and I just want it to come out right.**

**Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy is not mine although I do own a copy of "Gray's Anatomy" (saved my butt in lab many a time).**

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"Robbins. Hey. Hey Robbins." Mark used his thumb to raise her eyelid, shining his penlight in her glassy blue eyes. "Robbins can you hear me?"

Arizona slowly blinked her eyes open. "Mmm. Mmhmm. Mark?" She looked around, realizing that she seated in a chair in the scrub room.

"Yeah. Hey. You passed out." Mark looked at her in concern.

She swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut as hand went back to her leg. She dug her fingers into the still throbbing limb, massaging the inch of skin above her prosthetic. Arizona could still feel the knife in the back of her phantom knee but everything below that level was still gone. She blew out a big breath, opening her eyes again. "I just need to sit for a little bit."

"Does your leg hurt Robbins?" He saw her nod. "Where?"

"My knee."

"You don't…oh. Is it phantom pain?" He didn't need for her to answer. "Let me get you to a bed. Can you walk?"

"I don't…" She shook her head, sucking in another deep breath.

"Robbins, let me help you." Mark said gently as he helped her up, wrapping an arm around her and taking on most of her weight.

She nodded her head as she leaned on him. Her head spun and her leg throbbed with each hobbling step she took. Arizona didn't understand why this was happening. Her pain had not been this severe since the first few weeks after her amputation. "I don't want to go to a hospital room. The lounge. Please."

"Yeah. Of course." They slowly made their way down the hall to the elevator and eventually into attendings' lounge. The whole trip made in silence.

Arizona collapsed into a chair once they were in the room, taking both hands and pressing down on her leg where skin met plastic. She whimpered as she leaned forward, putting all her weight on her residual limb. "Oh God." Tears leaked out of her eyes as sweaty blonde hair shielded her face.

"Robbins, tell me what you want me to do." Mark stood there awkwardly, desperate to help but completely ignorant to what the peds surgeon needed.

She raised her head, gesturing for him to come closer. Once he stood in front of her, she grabbed onto his lab coat, trying to pull herself up. She felt his strong arms wrap around her as he lifted her from the chair. Her hands quickly went to her waist and she released the drawstring on her pants, letting the scrub bottoms fall to the floor leaving her standing in her shorts. "Down. Please." He lowered her back to the chair and she frantically shoved off the prosthetic letting it clatter to the floor. Her hands grasped the end of her residual limb, trying to provide relief for a knee that was no longer there.

"Do you want me to call Callie…or Derek. If it's nerve pain, maybe he can help you…"

"Callie is in surgery," She sighed out as she squeezed the tender flesh. "And not Shepherd. Please don't. I don't want anyone to see me like this."

"Okay. Okay um..." He wracked his brain trying to remember back to the pain management and phantom pain lectures from medical school. Turning on the spot, his eyes were drawn to the mirror that hung in the closet with their extra lab coats. "Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, pain meds…Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, pain meds, TENS, acupuncture, and mirror box therapy." He listed all the pharmacologic and non-invasive treatments for phantom pain that he could think of. Taking two quick steps to the coat closet, he grabbed the mirror off the door and went back to the suffering blonde. "Arizona. Have you ever tried mirror box therapy?"

She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears, desperate for anything to relieve the nagging, never-ending pain. Arizona shook her head. "No. Can we give it a shot?" She raised her right leg, propping it up on the chair across from her.

He gave her a small smile, sliding the mirror between her legs, tilting it so that it rested against her residual limb.

Still chewing on her lip, Arizona glanced down into the mirror and the sight took her breath away. The optical illusion made it appear as if she had two full legs. She saw two knees, two ankles, two feet. Letting out a small teary laugh she rested her right hand on her right knee. In the mirror, it looked like she was touching her left. As she squeezed and kneaded her real right knee, she started to feel the relief in her imaginary left. The pain slowly started to ebb and she felt her pulse slow down as everything eased away. After ten minutes of silently massaging her leg, Arizona dropped her hand from her knee, tilting her head back, her eyes shut in relief. She rested in silence for another few minutes until the door of the lounge flew open. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at the door, registering her frantic girlfriend approaching her at breakneck speed. "Callie." She whispered.

The brunette stopped by Arizona's side and dropped to her knees. "I am so sorry. I got here as soon as Karev told me." She took the peds surgeon's hand in her own, looking up at the seated woman.

Standing from the couch, Mark cleared his throat. "I'll let you guys have your privacy." He had stayed while Arizona worked through her pain to make sure the blonde didn't need anything. Now that Callie was here, he knew she'd be taken care of.

As the tall man started to walk to the door, Arizona tore her eyes away from Callie's face and looked towards the retreating plastic surgeon. "Mark? Thank you so much."

He smiled back at her, punching the lock on the door. "Any time Blondie." He pulled the door shut behind him, letting it click into place.

Arizona's eyes dropped back down to Callie's as they were left alone. "I thought you were in surgery." She propped the mirror against the table and slid on her liner before reaching for her prosthetic.

Callie picked up the artificial limb and handed it to its owner before pushing herself back to her feet. She watched as Arizona put the leg back on and also pushed herself upright, still favoring her right as she held onto the table for support. "I was. But you're more important than surgery Arizona. You passed out. Why didn't you tell me the pain was this bad?" She rested a tan hand against a pale cheek.

The blonde chewed on her lip and didn't meet Callie's eyes. "It just started today. With the talk of the lawsuit…and-and it brought back all this…stuff. I tried to push it out of my head but it is overwhelming." Her eyes flashed up to Callie's. Seeing nothing but absolute love and adoration in the brown orbs, Arizona closed her eyes again, giving herself time to think. Her 'jar of worms' had been rolling around all day, clanking into the corners of her mind and threatening to break open and spill all her nasty secrets any second. She could throw up a wall here or deflect there but the memories were gaining momentum and she wouldn't be able to hold them back for much longer. Taking a deep breath she opened her eyes and looked back to her girlfriend. "We need to go home. I need to tell you about what happened after the plane crashed."

* * *

Curled up on Callie's couch, her prosthetic discarded and a blanket thrown over her lap, Arizona waited nervously for the brunette to join her. A few minutes later a warm cup of tea was placed in her hands and she looked up, smiling appreciatively at her girlfriend who sat beside her, nursing her own mug. Arizona wanted nothing more than to lean into Callie, to feel her strong arms wrapped around her. But she couldn't. Not just yet. She took a sip of her tea before taking a deep breath and meeting Callie's eyes. The brunette looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to talk.

Closing her eyes briefly and sealing herself, Arizona started. "On December 12th the clinic manager booked me a flight from the rural area where the clinic was to Lilongwe, which is the capital of Malawi. I had only been in Africa for three weeks but I just couldn't handle it. The work I was doing was amazing. And I was making a difference. But I was miserable because I missed you so damn much." Her eyes flashed up to Callie's and she frowned when she saw the guilt written all over the brunette's beautiful face. "Oh…don't do that Calliope. None of this is your fault." She set her tea down on the coffee table and moved closer, taking her girlfriend's hand in her own. "The plane was this little puddle jumper. It was supposed to take me over the Rift Valley to the main airport. We could have driven, but the drive through Rift is dangerous and long so flying seemed to be the logical choice. We'd been in the air for maybe thirty minutes when we hit the first pocket of turbulence. I tried to get my seatbelt back on but the plane was shaking too badly. I-I think the plane ripped apart in midair but I don't remember hitting the ground."

Callie couldn't help but cringe as she held desperately to the blonde's hand.

Arizona took a deep breath and continued. "When I woke up I was flat on my back, the sun was burning down on me, and someone was screaming…I was screaming," she corrected. "Once it registered that I was actually still alive, I started to check myself over. There was this…spreading blood pool under my leg and it was so easy for me to rip the soaked khakis open. And there was my femur. Sticking out in these two jagged edges." She swallowed audibly before continuing. "I remember thinking that it was something I would see on your OR table. It took me a while but I was able to drag myself back to the plane and I splinted my leg…that almost made me pass out." Her eyes once again found their way to Callie's face and she could see the tears that were starting to well up in brown eyes. She quickly looked away, determined to maintain her calm. "Remember how I told you that I have nightmares about vultures?" She waited until the brunette nodded. "Yeah…those are the ugliest birds I have ever seen in my life. But there they were, pecking away at the pilot and co-pilot. They had just died and those damned birds were already on them. I could see the co-pilot…his back anyways. I think his neck was broken and he must have had a massive head wound because there was this puddle of blood under him."

"What about the pilot." Callie asked quietly, horrified for the woman who sat next to her.

Arizona shook her head. "I don't know exactly how he died. But the only part of him that I could see was his head…still in his helmet…about two meters away…not attached to his body."

"Oh my God!" Callie gasped, her stomach twisting in knots as she swallowed rapidly, trying not to gag. The only decapitated body she had seen was in the cadaver lab in medical school where the heads were separated from the bodies during lab practicals.

The blonde's jaw clenched and she quickly reached for her tea. Taking a soothing sip, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to dispel the images. When she felt ready, she set the tea down and continued. "Yeah…They were both dead and I was alone…and in pain. I know I was delirious from the pain by that first night and I must have passed out or something. When I came to the next day…well, the vultures had made a meal out of the two men. I don't know if during medical school when you did your path elective you saw any 'floaters?'" She was referring to bodies that ended up in the medical examiner's office after being retrieved from lakes. Their waterlogged corpses were bloated and tattered with putrefying flesh and decaying organs. She saw Callie's nod in affirmation. "That's what the co-pilot looked like the next morning. It must have been a combination of the vultures making a meal out of him and the heat…but it was horrifying."

Callie took her hand again, squeezing it tight. "I can only imagine. I am so sorry Arizona."

She gave a sad smile and nodded. "These are all things that my shrinks know. They know that I started to spike a fever. That I became delirious and was in and out of consciousness as I rested against the hull of the plane. I told them about how there were bugs in my leg. Eating my skin and muscle and laying their eggs. I tried so hard to keep it clean but I couldn't keep up. I was so dehydrated that I couldn't even control my fingers enough to pluck out some of the little beetles." She saw the horrified look on Callie's face and she swallowed as she thought about what she needed to say next. "There's a few things I never told Aimee or Jan…or anyone. Day three…I was so desperate for food. I'd thrown up after we crashed and the only thing I'd had to eat or drink in three days was some rain water and a beetle who made the mistake of coming too close to my hand. But then I realized that there was all this meat beside me…" She sounded disgusted with herself and couldn't make eye contact with the brunette. Her face was angry as she continued. "I hated myself for thinking of dead men as meat…hate myself." She heard Callie's surprised intake of breath when the implication of her words became clear. She swallowed and continued, "In that moment…to me, the co-pilot was no longer a human being. He was the left over from the vultures' meal. I was so desperate to do anything to survive…I just needed food. By this point I wasn't even feeling my leg because the intense hunger and thirst overrode every other feeling in my body." She chanced a look up at her girlfriend, expecting to see a look of disgust and hate, but was surprised when there was none.

Callie's stomach twisted in knots as she thought about what Arizona was saying. It was disgusting. It was barbaric. It was horrific. She couldn't believe what the blonde had gone through. She saw the self-loathing and disgust written all over her girlfriend's face. Arizona was ashamed of the thoughts she'd had. Callie could understand that. But she could not bring herself to be ashamed of the woman sitting before her.

When the brunette didn't pull away, Arizona took it as her signal to go on. "The next thing I knew…my hand was pulling at the co-pilot's back." Now Arizona did pull her hand away, clenching her hands into fists. "It could have kept me alive. It would have kept me alive…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "But he was a man. I'm sure he had a family. I couldn't…I didn't. I was so disgusted with myself for even thinking of resorting to it. To this day, I still hate myself for even having that thought. I mean what kind of an awful person am I?" She continued rambling before Callie could interject. "I sometimes wonder if karma is the reason I lost my leg. So that my outsides resembled my insides and the whole world could see what a monster I truly am."

Quickly grabbing the other woman's hand, Callie laced her fingers through Arizona's. "You are not a monster. Arizona you are not an awful person. You were in a horrible situation and you were desperate. I can't even pretend to know how you were feeling, but I know that if I had been there, I probably would have had the same thought. But your morals won out Arizona. That makes you a strong person. A brave person. And you should not hate yourself for having a thought in the situation that you were in. You did not act on that thought. I think you need to forgive yourself for it." She brought the pediatric surgeon's dainty hand up to her lips, pressing kisses to her knuckles. "You survived the unimaginable." She quickly wiped tears from her eyes, smearing her mascara on her cheeks. "Don't feel guilty for living when the pilot and co-pilot didn't. That is not your fault. Instead, embrace this second chance you were given. You have the ability to touch so many lives Arizona. If you want to talk about karma…you lost your leg because it was infected. Not because you did something wrong in the past. But you lived, you survived because of the good in you." She rested her palm on the blonde's cheek. "You save babies. You save kids. You saved Sofia. And every single day you save me."

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**I really hope that this wasn't too much for any of you to handle. It was not my intention to write about it for shock value, but rather the fact that it is a thought that could have realistically crossed her mind. (Look up the Uruguay rugby team plane crash in the 1970s).**

**Arizona finally cracked open that can of worms and it explains some of her self hate. The other self hate comes from hating her body and that will be tackled soon. Lawsuit and softball also to come soon. Who should get sued? What do you think the Robbins will say.**

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter and have a happy labor day weekend!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	51. Part VIII: Ch 3

**Holy smokes Batman. I can't believe you guys pushed me past 600 reviews. You. Are. Amazing. Sorry for the delay in getting this up-life is just insanely busy right now.**

**Without further ado...**

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A rather uneventful night had passed after Arizona had shared her emotional tale of survival with her girlfriend. They had gone to bed, wrapped in each other's arms, before waking up and heading into the hospital for a surprisingly slow shift. For the first time in recent memory both surgeons had gotten off at their scheduled time and had gone back to Callie's apartment with little Sofia in tow. Furthermore, Arizona had had no pain episodes today other than the brief twinge that accompanied her growing anxiety about the impending lawsuit talk with her parents.

While Sofia was down for her afternoon nap, the couple had prepared dinner together. They were now cuddled on the couch with the infant, reading their respective journal articles as the meal cooked.

Arizona was muddling her way through an article on pediatric development of pheochromocytomas and Callie was taking notes on artificial cartilage when the timer on the stove buzzed. The shrill sound echoed through the small apartment just as a knock sounded on the door.

"That's probably my parents." Arizona stood up. "I'll get the door. You'll check the food?" She took Sofia out of the Latina's arms as Callie also stood.

With a chuckle, Callie walked to the kitchen. "What, you don't want to finish cooking?"

"I'd burn the apartment down." The blonde retorted, cradling the sleeping baby in one arm as she approached the door.

Another melodious laugh left Callie's lips before she turned her attention back to the enchiladas she was pulling out of the oven.

Arizona pulled open the door, smiling at her parents. "Hey. Dinner just came out of the oven. You're just in time." She warily eyed the manila folder that her father clutched in his hand. She knew the lawsuit talk was coming, but that didn't mean she was looking forward to it.

"It smells great!" Barbara said as she stepped into the apartment, a huge grin spreading on her face as she saw the infant resting in her daughter's arms. "Oh…she's so adorable. May I?" The elder blonde reached towards Sofia.

"Yeah, of course." Arizona easily handed the baby off as her father also stepped into the room and pressed a light kiss to her head.

"Hello Arizona." He squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

She smiled up at him. "Why don't you both sit down. I'm just going to help Calliope finish dinner."

Hearing her name, the brunette threw a smile over her shoulder at her girlfriend's parents as she continued to stir the beans. "Hello Mrs. Robbins. Colonel." She nodded her head in the intimidating man's direction.

Barbara sent a disapproving glance towards her husband. "Callie please. It's Barb and Daniel. None of this Colonel nonsense." She sat in the chair Daniel had pulled out for her as the tall man just huffed. She cradled Sofia to her chest as she watched Arizona take over stirring the beans while the Latina walked the dish of enchiladas over to the table.

Callie gave the elder blonde a smile of appreciation as she set the tray down. "Babe," She called back over to Arizona, "Can you put the beans in a bowl and bring them here with the chips?" She reached over and gestured for Sofia. "I'm just going to put her in her crib."

When the Latina returned to the kitchen all the food was on the table and the three Robbins were seated. Sliding into the seat beside her girlfriend, Callie immediately slipped her hand into the blonde's, trying to provide support for what she knew would be a difficult conversation.

Dinner passed with easy banter and chatter about the hospital and the Robbins' travel plans. Once the dishes were cleared away, the mood grew more tense as Daniel placed the manila folder in front of him. Watching her father, Arizona propped her elbow on the table, her hand supporting her chin as her other hand held tightly to the brunette's.

Clearing his throat, the former Marine started to shift through his papers. "Arizona, your first prosthetic cost $15,000. Assuming that you will need a new one every three years that is $275,000…"

"Which insurance pays for most of and I am a surgeon. I'm not hurting for money dad." The blonde cut her father off. She was still weary and not in support of this whole idea. In her mind it had been her decision to get on a plane and the plane crashed. It was an accident.

"You shouldn't have to spend that kind of money Arizona. And insurance only covers 80%. That's still $55,000 out of pocket." He glanced down at the numbers he had calculated before coming over.

"Over a lifetime. I make more than $400,000 a year."

"Plus lost wages." He continued on, undeterred by her argument. "You were unable to work for six months. That's $200,000 Arizona. And consider hospital bills, PT, counseling, _pain and suffering_?" Daniel looked at his daughter, desperate to get her to accept his logic. "You are disabled Arizona."

"I'm aware." She snapped back, raising her head off her hand as she felt Callie comfortingly squeeze her other hand.

Barbara sighed audibly as her husband continued. "As a disabled person the rest of your life you are going to have needs that extend above and beyond those of able bodied people."

It broke Callie's heart to hear those words. Even though she knew them to be true, the look of frustration on the blonde's face and the sadness in her father's voice made Arizona's situation all the more real.

"Trust me, I get that reminder with every single step I take." _Disabled_ she really hated that damn word. Why was it that this adjective was now the first word that was attributed to her? What happened to blonde, perky, bubbly, intelligent? Hell, what happened to 'world renowned pediatric surgeon' being the first words used to describe her.

"Arizona, sweetie, please don't snap at your father. He's only trying to help." Barbara spoke soothingly, trying to diffuse the growing tension in the room.

Noticing that her girlfriend was about to snap again, Callie slid her hand onto Arizona's right thigh, squeezing gently to calm her down. "Baby." She addressed the blonde, looking straight at her as she massaged the limb. "I know you don't want to hear this, but your father is right."

"What…"

"Arizona, just hear me out." Callie spoke softly, smiling softly when the blonde pursed her lips, staring at her impatiently. "Your prosthetic, which now you are on your second I might add, only cost $15,000 because it is about as simple as it comes. As you are well aware, you have a very short residuum. The longer the prosthetic, the more it costs. The longer the prosthetic, the more energy you have to expend to move it. The leg you have now…it's terrible for you. It gives you barely any return on the energy you put in. It is the most standard model they make."

Arizona rolled her eyes, annoyed with the turn the conversation had taken. "Callie, I didn't ask you to…"

The Latina tightened her grip on the blonde's thigh. "Baby, listen to me. Okay?"

Huffing again in aggravation Arizona nodded her head and the elder Robbins shared a surprised glance at how well the brunette could tame their hot-headed daughter.

"I'm an orthopedic surgeon. I work with residual limbs and prosthetics all the time. I know the ones that waste energy and the ones that are more suitable for someone with such a high activity job as you have. You need something like a c-leg. A leg with a computerized microprocessor in the knee. It'll make each step easier and it will help with walking on uneven terrain. I know the hospital floors are flat, but what happens if we take Sofia to the park? I want you to be able to enjoy all these outings and not be limited by the restraints of your prosthetic."

Daniel was nodding his head, as he listened to the brunette explain her logic, he was starting to come around to her. Maybe Callie Torres was a good match for his daughter.

Callie continued, "The problem is, and I know this from battling insurance companies every single week, is that insurance only pays for 80% of the most basic limb. A c-leg, for someone with a residuum as short as yours could cost around $50,000. Daniel can I borrow your calculator?" She reached for the electronic box in front of her girlfriend's father, punching in numbers once it was handed over. "With only 80% of the standard limb covered and this costing an excess $35,000 per leg…" She paused as she quickly tapped in numbers, doing the calculations that she had to explain to patients all the time. "You're looking at almost $700,000 lifetime costs. And that's just for your day to day prosthetic. What if you decide you want a leg you can run on? What if you want a more cosmetic leg? The numbers keep adding up. And I know…I know you're opposed to this idea of filing a lawsuit, but you deserve to be able to do all the things you did before. And the sad truth is, that no matter how hard you try, with the leg you have now, you will never be able to get back to all the things you used to do. The standard legs just aren't good enough."

Arizona dropped her head back into her hands, massaging her temples with the pads of her fingers. She hadn't considered the factors that Callie had mentioned. She had been an amputee for less than a year and with her meditransports, surgeries, hospital stay, therapy, and two prosthetics she was nearing her insurance cap. Callie and her father were right, what would happen for the next 55 or so years? Would she be willing to never move faster than a brisk walk? Would she be willing to never wear a short dress or heels again? For someone who used to zoom down the hall on wheelie sneaks, who used to sprint up the stairs two at a time, who used to enjoy a quick morning run before standing at the OR table for hours, could she be satisfied with her current pace for the rest of her life?

The answer simply was no. Arizona Robbins was an adrenaline junkie, a fast paced, never stopping firecracker. She was vicious, hardcore, and perky, all in equal measure. How else could she be at the top of her field in pediatric surgery?

She'd lost that quickness since the crash. She'd written it off as a little piece of herself that she'd never get back. The focus of the last nine months had been recovery. Getting back on her feet and getting back to the work she was born to do. Now that she had her department back, now that she had the woman she loved, maybe her next goal should be to dig up and resume her fast paced life. But unfortunately Callie was right. The metal and plastic leg she wore now was the rate limiting factor. And money was an issue. Yes, as an attending she made bank, but she was still a decade or more away from paying off her med school loans. Adding in the costs that Callie and her father had calculated…well there was no way she could do it alone…

Letting out a loud sigh, she raised her head, looking at her parents, her hand falling down to her thigh to squeeze the hand that Callie still rested there. "I understand all of your points. But who would I even have a right to make a claim against? The pilots are dead…trust me. And they were not negligent at all."

Daniel flipped through the notes in his file, consulting all the clauses and guidelines that his JAG friend had detailed for him as well as the clinic information that they had dug up. "Who coordinated the flight? Who put you on the plane? How did the topic of you leaving Malawi come about? Did you ask to leave or was it suggested?"

Arizona bit her lip, looking at Callie out of the corner of her eye. "I'd been upset ever since I got there." She turned to look at Callie. "Like I told you, I missed you too much." She saw the brunette's brown eyes start to water before she turned back to her parents. "The clinic manager asked me why I was so upset and I told him. He asked that if they could find someone to replace me, would I want to go home. I said yes."

The former Marine nodded his head. "How was the flight scheduled?"

The blonde shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. They told me that they would get me a flight to the capital and the next day there was one. Andrew, the clinic manager, said that the plane was privately owned but was the one they were contracted with for all their supply runs."

"So the clinic set you up with this flight?"

Arizona felt her stomach flip-flop. "Yes. But-but you can't go after the clinic. They're doing amazing work, they're saving lives. I may have lost a leg but there are so many kids over there who are worse off than me. If-if you sue the clinic…I'd be killing hundreds of tiny humans…you can't…"

"Arizona. Arizona." Daniel held up his hand to calm his panicking daughter. "I got Dale, the JAG lawyer, to look into the clinic. It's just one of many that are maintained by the Carter Madison Foundation."

Callie's eyebrows shot up. "The ones who gave you the grant."

Both Daniel and Arizona nodded before the elder Robbins continued. "The foundation is responsible for holding the contracts of any outside services that work with the clinics." He handed the printout to the blonde. "Notice that there are separate sections allotted for transport of supplies and transport of personnel. Was the plane that you flew out on anything like the one you flew in on?"

Arizona closed her eyes, thinking back to that fateful day. She shook her head. "It was smaller, it was older. Most of the seatbelts were missing. Chisulo, the co-pilot, had apologized and directed me to one of the few seats with a seatbelt. He said that they'd never had passengers before, they were one of the supply planes but had been sent over because they were in the area. I didn't really think anything of it because I really just wanted to get home."

"If this plane was not on the passenger approved flyer list then we need to find out why. I'll talk to Dale but Arizona it sounds like the foundation neglected its responsibilities in terms of providing safe passage for personnel. And because of this, you paid the price."

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**Don't worry, the legal won't be a focal point of the story. It'll play in the background, but this chapter just needed to put it out there. (Please note that all prices are estimated to the best of my knowledge.**

**Coming up: Callie and Daniel interact. Arizona talks to Lexie. Callie learns more about her girlfriend's recovery. **

**I you enjoyed this chapter. Please please let me know what you think.**


	52. Part VIII: Ch 4a

**Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter. As you can see, this is the first half of the next chapter. It was getting to be very hard to write and I realized that I need to come back to the chapter later (ie after I have gotten a few hours of sleep). I'll do my damndest to get the next part up tomorrow evening-ish. But, you guys should like this. A lot of you asked for it and in my opinion it leads up to something pretty awesome that is going to come in part b.**

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_"If this plane was not on the passenger approved flyer list then we need to find out why. I'll talk to Dale but Arizona it sounds like the foundation neglected its responsibilities in terms of providing safe passage for personnel. And because of this, you paid the price."_

Arizona sighed as she leaned forward and rested her head back on her hand. Her father and girlfriend had made good points…very good points about her mobility, her future, and the fact that there may be fault behind her accident. "Okay." She nodded, her head still resting on her hand. "Okay. Depending on what you find out…we can do this. But if there is any hint of going after the clinic then it needs to be stopped. Like I said, there are so many people who are worse off than me over there. They don't have my financial security and they certainly don't have unrestricted access to an orthopedic surgeon." She looked towards Callie, her lips twitching up in a small, albeit tired, smile.

Callie returned the smile, leaning forward to mirror Arizona's position as her free hand came to rest on the small of the blonde's back. "I love you." She said softly, her cheek resting on her hand.

"I love you too." Arizona's smile widened as she leaned forward to capture Callie's plump lips with her own, momentarily forgetting that her parents were sitting right across the table from them.

A clearing throat caused both women to spring apart, looking back towards the Robbins with matching red cheeks. "I'm gonna um…" Callie pushed herself up from the table, "just go check on Sofia."

"Good idea. I'll get started on the dishes." Arizona rose too, walking in the opposite direction. Turning on the tap she couldn't stop the dreamy smile that spread on her face. As the water warmed up, Arizona felt the presence of her parents behind her. "Yes?" She questioned without turning around, dumping some soap on a sponge as she grabbed the first plate.

"Oh nothing." Barbara said, a smile audible in her voice. "It's just good to see you happy and in love." She closed the distance between them and rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Is she good to you Arizona?" Daniel leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the blonde.

She turned her head to look at her father, hints of her smile still on her face. Arizona shut off the water and grabbed a towel, turning around to face both her parents. "Yes." She let out a happy laugh. "She's very good to me. I love her."

He nodded his head. "Okay good."

Arizona's smile widened again as she stepped away from the sink, she could do the dishes later. Walking over to the coffee table, she straightened up her and Callie's mess of papers before looking back up at her parents, the smile replaced with a more serious look. "Do you understand what I mean about the clinic?"

Daniel nodded his head, not really thrown off by the sudden change of topic. "Of course…"

"And the final decision is mine." Arizona cut him off, waiting as he nodded again. "Okay." She shoved her hands in her pockets and afforded her parents a small smile. "Thank you for looking out for me." She walked over to them, withdrawing her hands from her pockets and embracing both her parents. "I love you both."

"We love you too sweetheart." Daniel kissed his daughter's head.

Barbara nodded her head with a smile, "And we're so proud of you Arizona."

"Thank you mom." She sat back down on the couch, gesturing for her parents to sit. Content to just relax for a few minutes while Callie tended to Sofia, she shut her eyes, a peaceful smile on her face until the shrill noise of a pager surprised her.

Within second Sofia's cries joined the cacophony. "Is that yours or mine?" Callie came to the doorway of the nursery, holding the startled infant, bouncing her lightly in an attempt to placate her. She tipped her head down and pressed a kiss into Sofia's dark hair, calming her down, while she waited for the blonde to answer.

Arizona snatched both pagers off the coffee table, letting out an involuntary groan as she recognized hers. "Mine." She shut off the device and ran a hand through her hair as she stood. "OB is about to deliver a baby with a heart defect. I gotta go." She walked quickly over to her girlfriend and stole a quick kiss before dropping one on Sofia's pink cheek. "Bye little miss." She smiled as the baby girl sniffled and flexed her fingers, reaching per usual, for Arizona's necklace. The blonde caught the tiny hand and redirected it to Callie's pendant, chuckling when the infant let out a content sigh. "I'll see you when I'm done. Love you." She kissed Callie's cheek again before turning to her parents. "I'm sorry. I'll see you guys tomorrow. I love you!" She said her goodbye as she was moving towards the door. Grabbing her coat off the coat rack, she quickly ducked through the blue door and was on her way to the hospital.

As the door shut behind the retreating blonde the three remaining adults turned to face each other as Sofia continued to gurgle happily in her mother's arms. Feeling awkward, Callie looked towards her girlfriend's parents. "So um…"

With a grin Arizona's mother pushed herself off the couch and walked towards them. "May I?" She reached for the baby. "She is the cutest little girl in the whole world. I just can't get enough of her."

Letting out a happy laugh, Callie was relieved of the elder blonde's acceptance of her and her child. "Of course. Sofia." She cooed, reaching up to detangle the infant's fingers from the necklace, "Someone wants to see you." Callie passed the baby to her girlfriend's mother. Sofia tensed up for only a second before relaxing in Barbara's arms and resuming her happy noises. "She likes you."

"Well I like you. Huh miss Sofia." Barbara cradled her close as she started to pace around the room, whispering soothing words to the raven haired child.

With only Callie and Arizona's father left in the seating area, the brunette found her eyes drawn to the intimidating man. "Sir…I am in love with Arizona." She had this overwhelming urge to justify their relationship to the blonde's parents. "I will do anything that it takes to protect her. Not that she needs it, she's strong…she's amazing." Callie's voice grew softer as it filled with emotion. "I will never regret anything more in my life than I do not picking up the phone when she called me. It was the stupidest thing I have ever done. She has always been there for me. When my parents disowned me for being bisexual, she was there and she picked me up and she kept me going. When my father came to take me back to Miami, she is the one who talked to him. She explained who she is, how she came out to you and how you reacted when you learned that she was a lesbian. She told my father that regardless of her sexuality, regardless of everything, she is still the person you raised her to be. A good man in a storm. She is that good man in a storm sir. I know you're proud. And-and I failed her when she needed me the most but I am willing to spend _every_ single day of my life making up for that. I'll be her good man in a storm. I am her good man in a storm." Callie rolled her eyes up to the ceiling to blink back tears, using her thumbs to swipe away the ones resting on her lower lids. She let out a deep shuddering breath before looking back at the stoic man. "I love her."

Daniel was quiet for a minute. He saw his wife watching them from the far side of the room, keeping an eye on their conversation even as she amused the little Latina in her arms. He then looked back up to the older Latina standing in front of him. Sliding over on the couch, he patted the seat beside him. "I know you do." His voice was softer than Callie had ever heard it. "Come here Callie, take a seat." He pulled his phone out of his pocket as the brunette warily sat beside him. "I could see at dinner how much you love my daughter. And I can see that she has forgiven you for not being there which means you need to stop being so hard on yourself." He paused, catching her eye to make sure she heard him clearly. "It also means that I forgive you too."

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**More to come. It's pretty emotional so I'm having trouble writing it. Motivation to do this...(and study for my pathology assessment) would be much appreciated.**

**As I said, I'll do my damndest to get part b up tomorrow. It will pick up right where this left off. So what do you think? Please let me know!**


	53. Part VIII: Ch 4b CORRECTED

**A/N: 2347h 09/06: I APOLOGIZE TO ANYONE WHO GOT A SECOND ALERT. I COULDN'T GET IT TO LET ME SWITCH OUT DOCUMENTS (IT WORKED BEFORE... :-/ ) SO I JUST POSTED A NEW CHAPTER AND DELETED THE EARLIER ONE.**

**GOOD GOD I NEED SLEEP.**

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**A/N: 2330h 09/06: REPOST BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME SERIOUSLY BAD GRAMMAR. PLUS I ADDED A COUPLE THINGS.**

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**Okay pause. I updated about 12 hours ago so make sure you see the first half of the chapter before you read this. Because it may be really confusing if you don't.**

**Also, you all are the best.**

**Also also, I am fairly certain at this point in time that my entire blood volume has been replaced by coffee so I am gonna apologize now if there is a little bit of dyslexia going on in this chapter.**

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_"I could see at dinner how much you love my daughter. And I can see that she has forgiven you for not being there which means you need to stop being so hard on yourself." He paused, catching her eye to make sure she heard him clearly. "It also means that I forgive you too."_

Callie let out an audible sigh of relief at Daniel's statement. "Thank you." Ever since Arizona had dashed out the door and left her alone with the people who one day she hoped would be her in-laws, Callie had been on edge. But with Daniel's kind and honest words she started to feel more at ease with her girlfriend's parents.

He nodded his head before turning on the phone. "Callie, how much do you know about what happened? Because if you're all in, which it seems you are…then you need to know what happened to her so you can help her. She's all we have left." He looked up at his wife who gave him a small smile from across the room before looking back at the infant in her arms. "We lost our son five years ago and we came so close to losing our daughter..."

The brunette nodded her head, she could feel tears stinging at her eyes. "I know. And I am so sorry about Tim." She paused before continuing. "Last night Arizona told me about what happened before she was rescued. She also told me a little about her recovery…I-I know that she was depressed…and about the psych hold." She bit her tongue when Daniel started to shake his head.

"Yes, but those are things specifically are for Arizona to share with you. That is not my place. I'm sure she'll tell you more about that when she's ready." He paused before setting the phone between them.

Barbara took a few steps closer so that she was back in the seating area, pacing with a now yawning Sofia. "Callie, I think he wants you to see what we saw. If your brain works anything like our daughters, then I know you have to have all the medical information right at your fingertips." She afforded the anxious brunette a kind and somewhat teasing smile, shaking her head with a little chuckle. "Doctors." She laughed to herself before looking down at the baby in her arms. "Doctors are silly Sofia, aren't they." She tickled the girl's chubby belly and a yawn turned into an excited squeal, earning a laugh from all the adults in the room.

Daniel smiled, watching his wife with the baby before turning back to the woman who was seated beside him. "You're a doctor. I'm assuming from what Arizona told you you can tell how bad she really was, how close to dying she came. But like Barb said, I need you to see it. I need to know you understand because I know you can help her better than her mother or I ever could."

Callie felt her stomach twist as she watched the man tap the camera icon on his phone.

"We never saw her before her surgery in San Diego. According to the surgeon who came out to talk to us in the waiting room, she'd started to deteriorate as they were landing and she was taken straight to the OR. It was maybe twenty minutes between being told that she'd landed to the surgeon coming out to say that they'd done something called a double physician override to revoke her dissent for amputation. This was the picture in her chart from Baltimore."

The orthopedic surgeon stared at the picture of her girlfriend laid out on a hospital bed. Arizona's normally creamy white skin was red form sun exposure, her face was littered with cuts and bruises. Using her thumbs, Callie expanded the size of the picture to get a better look at the injured woman's face. Largely Arizona hadn't scarred from these wounds but since her return Callie had noticed a faint white line above the blonde's left eyebrow that she now realized came from one of the more nasty cuts. Callie sniffled as she continued to look the swollen face; Arizona's eyes were shut and she appeared to be sleeping, but even through the image the brunette could tell that she was in pain. She scrolled around the picture, stopping when she reached Arizona's leg. This time she couldn't help the sob that welled up in her throat when she realized that this is the last picture Arizona would ever be in where she had both of her legs...legs that Callie used to worship frequently when they made love. Using the heel of her hand to wipe her eyes, Callie took in the external fixator that Arizona had told her about. The blonde was right, it was well done. She gave little cough to clear her throat, unable to look up and meet Daniel's eyes. "What did the wound look like under all that gauze?"

Daniel wordlessly took the phone back from her and scrolled back a few images. "When she got to Baltimore." He handed the mobile device back to the brunette. "Honestly I don't know why they didn't stop anywhere before Hopkins…why they didn't take her to Germany or England to stabilize her first. Maybe the flight doctor didn't know how bad it really was. Or maybe they just went straight to Hopkins because that is the first thing that comes up when anyone looks up Arizona online. They had to have treated her on the flight because it's almost 17 hours and when Norman McHale, her old boss at Hopkins, called us we were told she was stable but had a terrible infection."

Callie looked at the close up of the wound. "They didn't even try to reduce the fracture…" She was an orthopedic surgeon. She handled open femur fractures all the time but this by far was one of the worst she'd ever seen. Blackened, necrosed skin extended for several inches around the wound. The wound itself was a red and brown congealed mess. Green pus surrounded the wound margins and the exposed bone was no longer a glistening white but a dead decaying brown. Callie bit down hard on her lip as she scrolled to the next picture, showing the surgical closure that was hidden under the external fixator. There had been extensive debridement and Callie could tell that most of the rectus femoris muscle had been removed. The rest of the surgical site was covered with a wound vac. In all honesty, Arizona was probably better off with an amputation. If her leg had been left as it was, with the extensive debridement, then she would have dealt with chronic pain and likely never would have been able to walk. Callie swallowed audibly and looked up to her girlfriend's father. Even though they were gruesome, these pictures were easier to handle than the first one she'd seen. Only because Arizona's battered face was not included in the image. "I've um…I haven't seen much like this, this is by far one of the worst injuries I've ever seen." She licked her lips nervously before looking back down at the phone she was holding lightly. "I-I should have been there." She swallowed again and couldn't stop the tears that spilled over this time. "I am so so sorry." The distressed woman brought her free hand up to cover her face, hunching over as her shoulders started to shake with sobs. The anguish and guilt she felt for the woman she loved was overwhelming.

Callie felt Daniel's hand on her back and felt movement in front of her as Barbara sat down on the coffee table, Sofia still in her arms. "Sweetheart," Barbara started soothingly as she rocked the infant. "He's not showing you these to make you feel guilty. Arizona wasn't with it enough to remember most of these details but someone close to her needs to know them. And we know now that there is no one closer to Arizona's heart than you." She paused as teary brown eyes looked up at her. Barbara Robbins could see the love in the Latina's eyes and she knew that Callie's earlier proclamation of love for the younger blonde was true. "Are you alright?"

Reaching out a shaky hand to stroke her daughter's hair, Callie nodded her head, sniffling as she used her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

"Callie," Daniel's voice was uncharacteristically gentle as he squeezed the brunette's shoulder. "Can I show you the rest of the pictures?"

"Hmm. Mmhmm." She bit her lip as she nodded quickly and took the phone back, her jaw tense as she prepared for what she knew was coming.

"Her surgery in San Diego was December 19th. This is post-surgery." He used his finger to scroll to the next picture.

A sedated and intubated Arizona lay on one of the white sterile ICU beds. Tubes and wires surrounded her body, coming out in bundles from under her blue hospital gown. On her left side, the gown had been pulled up and what remained of her left leg was tightly wrapped in white gauze, elevated on a pillow. Callie stared at the picture, wiping her eyes as silent tears started to spill over again. "I'm so sorry baby." She whispered, her voice cracking. She shut her eyes for a minute taking a few calming breaths before looking back up at her girlfriend's parents. "She looks so small." She scrolled to the next picture on the phone, dropping her eyes back to the screen. Her breath caught in her throat. It was a later image, but if possible Arizona looked even worse. She looked up questioningly.

"That was Christmas Day." Barbara said sadly.

"What happened?" Callie noticed that the blonde had been extubated but she took in the restraints that Arizona had mentioned, the chest tube peeking out of the side of gown. Arizona looked even smaller in the bed now, her features more gaunt and malnourished. Her cheeks were hollow and there was deep purple bruising beneath both eyes.

"That…" Daniel pointed to the chest tube, "Was placed because she developed a blood clot in her lung after surgery which led to her lung collapsing on the 23rd." He paused, looking back at his daughter's girlfriend. "She did not want to live. She just...It's like all the Arizona was scooped out and she was just this hollowed out shell of who she was." Daniel swallowed, it had been the worst moment of his life when he had to restrain his daughter for sedation. Even worse than Tim's death. He knew his son hadn't suffered. But Arizona, his baby girl, she was suffering and he couldn't help her. The look of absolute betrayal she had given him when he was holding her to the bed was not something that he could ever forget. "I think you filled her back in Callie…are still filling her back in. I saw some of the old Arizona tonight."

"There was a time we never thought she would smile again." Barbara added quietly, her eyes not looking up from the now sleeping infant.

Callie gave a soft smile. "She did a lot of it herself though. She's strong. Amazingly so."

Daniel smiled. "She is. Here." He took the phone and looked through it. When he handed it back to her there was the little triangular "play" icon on the screen.

Curiously, the brunette tapped the triangle and a shaky camera image started. As it panned around, she realized it was in a physical therapy gym, very similar to the one she herself had frequented a few months earlier. The camera stopped and steadied as it revealed Arizona standing between two parallel bars, balanced on her right leg and a very rudimentary prosthetic.

"This was her first appointment with her prosthetist. All he wanted her to do was stand. But watch."

Callie didn't need to be told, she was already staring at the screen in awe. Arizona flipped her hair over her shoulder and pushed up her sleeves before holding onto the bars with a death grip. Her bottom lip was between her teeth and even though Callie couldn't see it, she knew the blonde's forehead was creased in concentration as she looked down at the ground before swinging her prosthetic forward followed by a quick step with her right leg. There was a thirty second pause where Callie could swear she saw the wheels in Arizona's head turning. She watched the blonde's shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath before the metal limb was swung forward another few inches and was followed by another quick hopping step. This step had brought her to the end of the bars and the camera zoomed in tighter on her face. As Arizona lifted her head Callie couldn't help the grin that spread on her own lips when she saw the happiest, childlike, dimpled smile on the blonde's face. "Amazing." Callie breathed as the screen went to black.

* * *

Arizona and Teddy had been operating for three hours already on the preemie that had been born with his heart outside his body. The first part of the surgery had been touch and go but now they were settled in a rhythm and were well on their way to saving their tiny patient.

"How's it going with bar hottie?" Arizona asked, a playful grin hidden behind her mask as she looked at the monitor that magnified the work Teddy was doing. The shorter blonde took the hemostats from her friend and continued to apply the tension Teddy needed to finish her repair.

As the cardiothoracic surgeon threw miniscule sutures in the tiny space, she chuckled. "_Henry_ is good. I'm seriously falling in love. You know he took me up to the Space Needle for dinner tonight? Well until I got paged in. But you know, I think he's the one." She paused after she tied in her last stitch and looked up at the surgeon in the pink scrub cap. "And what were you doing? Were you with _Calliope_?" She asked in an equally teasing tone. She took the hemostats back from the peds surgeon and spread the chest cavity with two fingers as Arizona reached around her and gently eased the heart back into the tiny chest.

"Yes."

Teddy could hear the smile in Arizona's voice as they worked together to check the vessels leading to and from the heart. They repositioned his anatomy within the thoracic cavity making sure every connection was perfect. "Want to take our little guy off bypass and see how he did?"

"Definitely." Arizona looked up, her blue eyes twinkling as she heard the whirl of the machines slow down as the anesthesiologist followed their orders.

Both surgeons instinctively held their breath as they waited. They watched the organ pink back up as blood reperfused it and with the lightest touch from Teddy's index finger, the tiny heart started to beep, its quick, healthy pace picked up by the cardiac monitors.

The entire OR let out a collective sigh of relief and there was a smattering of applause from the impressed scrub nurses as the blonde surgeons grinned at each other, their smiles hidden behind their scrub masks. They watched the heart and lungs for several seconds before preparing for final closure. "I always like it when insides are back where they're supposed to be." Teddy chuckled as she watched the peds surgeon do a multilayered closure before wiping down the incision site and gesturing for a sterile dressing.

Arizona set down her tools and looked back up at her best friend. "What do you say we go tell some happy parents the good news and get back our dates." The shorter blonde walked around the table, matching Teddy's pace as they ripped off their surgical gowns and left the OR.

* * *

**And back to studying for me.**

**I'll update as soon as I can.**

**Please please please tell me what you think!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	54. AN: The author is technology challenged

I seem to have somehow jacked this all up.

ff chapter 53 is the new version of part viii ch 4b.

i must have done something wrong when I re-uploaded it and I'm really sorry.

Just to get things straight, 4a (ff ch 52) was posted 24 hours ago. It's the continuation of the lawsuit conversation and then Arizona got paged into surgery and Daniel forgave Callie.

4b (ff ch 53) was posted 10 hours ago, corrected, then reported an hour ago. It is the continuation of Callie and Daniel's conversation and Daniel tells Callie about Arizona's recovery then Arizona and Teddy have fun in the OR.

If you missed either of those, go read them. I've apparently confused myself and I am really really sorry for all these extra postings. As Arizona says, "please don't be mad." (Bonus points if you can name that episode.)

**TL;DR: I am a moron and should not be allowed to touch a computer when I'm sleepy. Apologies again. Will update with Part VIII: Ch 5 soon!**


	55. Part VIII: Ch 5

**I know, I know, I suck. Sorry for the delay. Life is kind of a cluster fuck (I'm quoting my roommate here) for the past few days. **

**And I'm probably going to suck for about another 5 days until I hit a little patch of smooth sailing. I'm rapidly approaching an assessment (as in, it's on Monday) that is shaping up to be one of the hardest of my career, obviously _after_ my board examinations of course. So please stick with me, I promise it will be worth your time.**

**I hope people are still reading...I really have no clue what the numbers on the stats page mean so I don't really attempt to look at it. For those of you who are soldiering on, thank you so much. I hope you've enjoyed the story as much as I have enjoyed telling it. **

**Also a lot of this chapter takes place in our girls' heads...it's fun...and happy...and dark...and sad...It's a rollercoaster. Enjoy the ride.**

* * *

After the Robbins had left and Sofia was down for the night, Callie finally found herself with a moment to think…breathe…_process_ the horrific images Daniel had showed her. Yes, the video of Arizona walking for the first time on her prosthetic limb, and the beautiful, breathtaking smile she had on her face at the end made Callie so happy. But there was no erasing the image of Arizona, her happy, beautiful, perky, Arizona laying withered and emaciated in a hospital bed, strapped down like some sort of animal. Yes, maybe Arizona wasn't as happy or as perky as she had been before she'd left for Africa. Maybe her world view wasn't quite as sunshiny or optimistic anymore. She'd survived a terrible experience and it changed her-physically and mentally. There was no denying that. But even with all that darkness and pain that had followed the blonde for the last ten months, Arizona still somehow managed to be one of the most kind, caring, and compassionate people that Callie knew. The brunette didn't know how she did it. If she'd gone through what Arizona had…if she'd lost a leg…if she'd had to go through physical therapy essentially by herself…The thought was too much.

Callie dwelled on this as she walked out of the nursery after checking on Sofia. The baby was sleeping and the house was silent except for the pitter-patter of the ever present Seattle rain. Dropping heavily to the couch, she kicked off her shoes before leaning forward to drop her head in her hands. The pictures that Daniel had showed her made everything so much more real. Yes, Callie had seen Arizona's leg, she'd witnessed the blonde wake up in a panic from a nightmare, and she'd seen the vice like grip that phantom pain could hold over a person. But all this…while it was still a hard pill to swallow, a bitter reality, was at least something that Callie could handle. When Arizona had returned to Seattle Grace Mercy West, she had been as physically healed as she could be, and mentally she was getting stronger each day.

Callie squeezed her eyes shut as she felt tears start to burn in them. She should have been there…should have helped her girlfriend recover. The guilt that Callie felt clawing at her chest was awful. Even after Callie had rejected her calls, according to Arizona's father, the blonde had pushed herself through physical therapy so that she could get back to the woman she loved. And then what? Her first day back…when, after standing through a five hour surgery, it was clear that she wanted to tell Callie about her life altering injury…what had Callie done? Callously revealed her pregnancy. The tears leaked over closed lids and Callie heaved a sob as the picture of Arizona's face during that surgery flashed through her mind. It was amazing how expressive the blonde's eyes were, because even with half her face obscured by a surgical mask, Callie could see the pain and despair written in the blue orbs.

At the time, Callie had been happy to cause the blonde pain. It was true. When Arizona had left her in the airport, it was like she'd taken Callie's heart and crushed it under her heel. That was the same resentment Callie had been feeling six months later in the OR when she showed Arizona her swollen, pregnant belly, well aware of the anguish it would cause the other woman. Everything Arizona had worked so hard for had just been ripped away.

As her shoulders shook with silent sobs, Callie's next thought jumped to the day she'd learned about Arizona's injury. When she had agreed to help Bailey that day, she had no idea what she was about to see. Callie remembered how she followed Bailey in the room and in the split second before Arizona realized she was there, Callie had seen all she needed. Seeing a scarred stump in place of what had once been a very shapely leg had come like a physical blow. Seeing the catastrophic damage done to the body of someone she loved…She'd seen it once with George. But now, after seeing the pictures on Daniel's phone she'd experienced the horrifying sensation twice with Arizona. The first being the shocking reveal in the on-call room that Arizona was now an amputee. The second coming just a few hours ago, when Callie learned how that amputation had come to be.

Callie continued to cry into her hands as the storm outside picked up. Lightning flashed and thunder shook the window panes. It seemed that Mother Nature was just as upset as the Latina. She just couldn't control her guilt. Though Arizona and Callie had forgiven each other. Though the blonde had time and time again told Callie not to feel guilty, a sentiment echoed by her parents earlier tonight, Callie was suffocating. How had this happened? Why had this happened? And why was Callie feeling this rush of emotion now? Had the pictures and the talk of a lawsuit made everything all the more real? The sobbing brunette didn't know.

* * *

Arizona closed her umbrella as she walked into the lobby of Callie's apartment building. The storm was raging outside and she really regretted walking over to the hospital when she was paged in after dinner because she was now drenched. She and Teddy had finished the surgery on their preemie around 10:30pm but an overabundance of charting and checking in on the patient in the NICU had kept the pediatric surgeon in the hospital for another two hours. Noticing the darkness of the lobby, Arizona groaned. At the hospital the generator had kept the lights on even as the rain came down in sheets and winds blew at 45 mph but apparently here at the apartment they weren't so lucky. She sighed as she approached the elevator and pushed the call button, the silence and lack of light confirming what she dreaded.

Making her way slowly over to the stairwell so that her wet shoes didn't slip on the slick surface, she grasped the handrail before starting her climb up the stairs. Why the hell did Callie have to live on the 5th floor? Yeah, she'd done one or two flights at the hospital and she could handle them fairly well, but four flights of stairs to get up to apartment 502…

She was actually surprised at how smooth her pace was as she ascended the first and second flight of stairs. She was getting stronger and more agile on her prosthetic. Clearly she wouldn't be going out to run or climb a mountain, but normal day to day walking? Well that was almost easy…at least that's what she was thinking until she neared the top of the third flight. Not lifting her leg high enough, the toe of her plastic foot struck the edge of the stair, sending her off balance. She grabbed the rail and rightened herself but that somatic sensation of falling had taken her breath away and she realized just how much effort she had put into the climb.

Growling in frustration of her own limitations, Arizona turned on that last step of the third flight and sank down to the ground, giving herself a minute to catch her breath. Maybe one of those c-legs Callie was talking about _was_ a good idea. Grateful that the stairwell was dark except for emergency lights and there were no other people around Arizona closed her eyes and rubbed her temples briefly, giving herself a little mental pep-talk before she grabbed the rail and pulled herself back to her feet.

She was cold now, and started to shiver in her still drenched clothing as she cautiously approached the final flight of stairs. Slowly ascending them, she used the promise of a nice warm shower as motivation to finish the climb. She could hear her father's voice in her head as she reached the top of the flight. _'Come on Robbins. You can do it. Make me proud.'_ That was her father's go to when she trained for her first 5K in high school and when she played softball in college. It was the motto he supported her with when she called him before big exams in medical school with pre-test jitters. It was the motto that continued through her residency and fellowship and the start of her career as an attending surgeon at Seattle Grace. And these were also the words that had been said to her when she pushed herself through physical therapy and returned to work as an attending at Seattle Grace Mercy West.

As she stepped onto the landing that took her to apartment 502, she couldn't help the little giggle she let out. Her father's words had become a sound track for every challenging event in her life and apparently conquering the stairs was something she thought the Colonel would be proud of. It wasn't much and Arizona wasn't looking to do it again anytime soon, but it was just another step in the right direction.

That small, self-satisfied smile still rested on her lips as she pulled out her key to unlock the blue door. But when she pushed it open and her eyes adjusted to the dim light, that smile was wiped right off her face. Callie, her beautiful girlfriend, was curled up in the fetal position on the couch, crying heavily as Sofia's shrieks matched her cry for cry from the nursery.

Dropping her bag and umbrella to the ground, she rushed over to the distressed woman's side. "Callie. Calliope… What is it? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" She rested a hand on the tan woman's cheek, straining her eyes to get a glimpse of the Latina's face. She had no clue what was going on. Why was Callie crying? How long had she been this way? Was Sofia okay? Why was the baby screaming in her crib while her mother lay out here? Not getting an answer, she tried again. "Calliope." She eased herself down to her knees and leaned her face in towards the other woman's. "Calliope, tell me what it is. Let me help you." She brought her hand up to rest it again on Callie's cheek, using her thumb to caress it soothingly.

Callie turned her face into the blonde's touch, desperate for contact as she brought her own hand up and held Arizona's hand to her cheek. "I-I am s-so so sorry. Ari-Arizona, I am so s-sorry." Her words were broken as she took gasping breaths between sobs.

Arizona's heart raced, but she just continued to caress the woman's cheek. "Baby, baby, it's okay. It's okay." She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Callie's forehead. "Callie, just tell me why you're crying. Why is Sofia crying?"

"S-Sofia…" Callie let out another shuddering sob and felt Arizona's hand pull away from her cheek as the blonde stood back up. Callie pressed her free hand to her mouth. "Oh God. Sofia." She'd been so caught up in her own disturbing thoughts that only now did the infant's distressed cries resonate in her head.

"Shh. I got her." Arizona dropped another kiss on wet brown hair before crossing into the nursery. She reached in the crib and felt the infant's diaper. She was grateful that it was dry because she didn't know how well she could change a baby in the dark. Starting to scoop up the upset infant, she paused, patting down her own shirt and realizing that she was still drenched to the skin from the apparent monsoon happening outside. Quickly stripping off the soggy blouse leaving her only in her bra, she dropped the clothing item to the floor and picked up Sofia, holding the girl close to her bare skin. As a pediatric surgeon, she knew the benefits of the kangaroo hold but she was always amazed at how fast warm skin and a gently beating heart could calm even the most distressed of babies.

As Sofia quieted in her arms, Arizona gently bounced the little girl before pressing a kiss into messy black hair. "What is it little miss?" She whispered quietly as she started to head back out to the living room so she could attempt to figure out what was going on with her girlfriend. "I know. I know, storms are scary. I don't like them much either." She cradled the baby and carried her into the main room, sinking down on the coffee table with Sofia still in her arms. "Calliope?" She asked gently. In the dim light, she could now see that the brunette was sitting up, wiping at her face in an attempt to dry her tears. She was thankful that the lights were off because as willing as she was to take off her shirt to keep Sofia warm and dry, she wasn't sure she was ready for Callie to see her in her bra…even though she had stripped in front of her in the attendings' lounge. But in Arizona's mind, that was different. Callie was still…at that point, her doctor and friend. Not her lover. "Callie?" She prodded again. It wasn't like the mother to ignore her daughter's cries which made Arizona all the more worried.

"I'm so sorry Arizona." Callie repeated again, this time clearer because she was no longer shaking with sobs.

"Sweetheart, you keep saying that, but what are you talking about?" Worry seeped into every word as Arizona stood up from the coffee table and sat beside the brunette on the couch so that Callie could reach the baby who was now nestled happily in Arizona's arms.

Reaching out a shaky hand, Callie rested it on Sofia's head, gently stroking the soft black hair. "I um…" She cleared her throat. "I'm just so sorry about everything Arizona. About not being there for you…about…"

"Woah, woah. Calliope, we talked about this. It's. Not. Your. Fault." The blonde clearly emphasized every word. "I forgave you. You forgave me. We moved past it. What brought this up? If my parents said anything that…"

"No!" Callie said, a little louder than she intended, causing Sofia to start to whimper again. The brunette's heart melted as she heard her girlfriend immediately start to whisper little words of love to the child in her arms. "No. No. Your parents didn't say anything. But I saw them Arizona and I am so sorry."

Now Arizona was even more confused. She pressed a kiss to Sofia's head before looking up at the brunette, whose face was silhouetted in moonlight and the occasional flash of lightening. "Saw what Callie?"

"The pictures…"

The confusion was not getting any better. "What pictures?"

Now Callie was confused. Arizona didn't know about the pictures from her recovery? That could make sense because she really wasn't well…but why did Arizona not know that her father had these. "From the hospital. From your recovery…"

Arizona felt her heart start to race and her jaw tightened as little sparks of anger started to build up in her as she started to piece together what the brunette was saying. "What were the pictures of Callie?" Her voice was a deadly calm whisper.

Callie dropped her head back into her hand, cursing herself. Arizona didn't know… "From the hospital. Your leg…pre- and post-surgery. You…pre- and post-surgery. Your father showed them to me. And I thought you knew. I-I…"

"Please stop." Arizona hissed. She wanted to yell, to curse the blatant disregard for her privacy, but was unwilling to disturb the baby who was finally asleep in her arms. "Just stop now."

"Arizona, I-I…"

"Don't."

* * *

**Boo, sadness-don't worry I'll fix it. Their relationship is going to get even stronger and closer in the next chapter.**

**So who's stuck with me so far? I hope I'm not disappointing anyone. **

**Wish me luck on getting past Monday so that I can get back to a more frequent updating speed. **

**Please let me know what you think-also ideas, let me have them!**

**Also, on this Patriot's Day (delayed by about 5 minutes...sorry), I would like to offer my deepest gratitude to the men and women of the armed forces. I grew up around you. I work, study, and play along side you. While not military myself, some of you are my deepest and closest friends and family. Thank you for your service.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	56. Part VIII: Ch 6

**Whoo, Monday as promised. Thanks so much for your response on the last chapter and your well wishes. I survived!**

**Glad to know people are still reading.**

* * *

"_What were the pictures of Callie?" Her voice was a deadly calm whisper._

_Callie dropped her head back into her hand, cursing herself. Arizona didn't know… "From the hospital. Your leg…pre and post-surgery. You…pre- and post-surgery. Your father showed them to me. And I thought you knew. I-I…"_

"_Please stop." Arizona hissed. She wanted to yell, to curse the blatant disregard for her privacy, but was unwilling to disturb the baby who was finally asleep in her arms. "Just stop now."_

"_Arizona, I-I…"_

"_Don't."_

Callie felt her heart pound in her chest as a lightening flash illuminated the room. She caught a quick glimpse of Arizona's pearly white teeth gritted in anger before the room went dark again. What they had together had been going so well. How could a few pictures ruin it? "I am so sorry. I-I…"

"Shh." Arizona cut her off quickly. "Shh. I'm not mad at you." Her voice till held that deathly calm tone as she spoke, her words hissed through clenched teeth as she tried to control the fury that was building inside her without taking it out on the wrong person.

"What?" Callie was shocked. "You're…"

"Hold her please." Arizona passed the sleeping baby girl back to her mother and pushed herself off the couch before walking over to her discarded purse and yanking out her cellphone. She was glad that she'd had the forethought to charge the device before leaving the hospital.

As the LED screen lit up, Callie was able to see Arizona's face and her very, very bare shoulders. Was she not wearing a shirt? Her eyes widened as Arizona walked back over and sat down beside her. When Arizona had started to talk in that lower tone, with this hollowed out, angry voice, Callie was _convinced_ that the anger was directed at her. Now, as Arizona tapped several buttons on the screen and held the ringing phone to her ear, Callie realized that she was not the subject of Arizona's rage.

After several seconds of the rain and a phone ringing being the only sounds in the apartment there was a click and the call was answered. _"Arizona? Do you what time it is?"_ Colonel Robbins' tired voice was heard through the phone.

Ignoring her father's question, Arizona spoke. "How could you do that to me dad!" Her words were angry but her voice was kept low as to not disturb little Sofia.

"_What…"_

"The pictures!"

"_Arizona, she needed to see."_

The blonde could feel her blood boiling as she pushed herself off the couch, walking slightly away from the mother and daughter so that she could raise her voice. "No! No she didn't! Do you know how much you upset her!"

The brunette's eyebrows shot up. How could it be that the peds surgeon's first thought was about Callie's wellbeing?

Her tirade continued. "You didn't think how much those would hurt her? And furthermore, why do you even have pictures of me from the hospital. That was one of the worst times of my life. Why the hell would you document that! Did you really think I would want to go back and see how awful I looked? How absolutely crazy I was? I'm trying…trying to forget what it felt like to wake up and realize that my leg had been cut off. I'm trying to forget the fact that they had to dope me on psych meds for days just so I would stop trying to kill myself!"

Callie's breath caught in her throat. Arizona had told her that she wanted to die upon waking up and learning that she was an amputee but Callie hadn't realized how suicidal the blonde actually had been. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her nose in Sofia's soft hair, trying to stop the tears that were burning behind closed lids.

"_Arizona!" _Daniel shouted through the phone, interrupting his daughter. _"I didn't do this to hurt either of you!"_

"Then why do you have pictures!" Arizona paced around the kitchen, trying to keep her voice low even though all she wanted to do was scream.

"_Your mother and I, we talked to lawyers and the insurance companies while you were in surgery in San Diego. They recommended having documentation incase a claim ever needed to be filed."_

"Is this all about money?" Arizona's voice was pained as she stopped and leaned against the counter.

"_No Arizona! No." _Callie could hear Daniel's loud voice through the phone even though she wasn't even seated by the blonde. _"I just wanted to help you. The surgeon had just come out and told us that he was going to cut off your leg. I panicked. I saw men lose limbs in war and I witnessed how hard their recovery was. I didn't want that for you."_

Arizona leaned further over the counter, propping her head up on her hand as a sob welled up in her throat. In a second, Callie was by her side. With Sofia nestled happily in one arm, the brunette rested her other hand on Arizona's back. Bare skin was smooth against her fingers as she rubbed her hand in comforting circles.

"Why didn't you say anything then? Why wait until now?" She raised her head off her hand and turned out of Callie's touch so that she could grab the Latina's free hand with her own. Bringing the hand back in front of her, she pressed it to her lips as she waited to hear her father's response.

Callie didn't know who the blonde was trying to comfort with the gesture. Whether she was still trying to sooth Callie's guilty conscious or if she needed reassurance that the brunette was close by.

"_You were so angry. And then when you stopped being angry you started getting better so fast. You were in therapy, you learned how to walk again…you occasionally even smiled. And then you left to go back to Seattle. I made a mistake not telling you Sweetheart and I am sorry. All I wanted was to protect you and for you to be happy again."_

Arizona could hear the sincerity in her father's voice. It was such a rare occurrence for the Colonel to show emotion that Arizona was convinced that he had her best interests in mind when he had done what he'd done.

"_I am so sorry."_

She heard his voice catch and wondered if he may actually be tearing up on the other end of the line. Arizona raised her lips from Callie's hand, her voice much softer. "I know. I know you were trying to help me. I know…"

"_And Sweetheart, please don't be mad at your mother. This was not her doing."_

Arizona knew that it was not Barbara's idea. She could never be mad at her mother but she still felt upset and betrayed by both of her parents. Before Arizona could respond however, the lights snapped back on with the whirl of energy that accompanied the end of a power outage. Blinking her eyes against the sudden assault of light she sighed. "Please just…let me make the decisions about my life…I know you didn't think you were, but you violated my privacy and I just need you to have more respect for that. I know I'm your daughter, but I'm also an adult and…I sacrificed control for so long. I need it back now." She tilted her head to the side and looked up at Callie, frowning when she saw the wet tear tracks staining tanned cheeks.

"_I know…"_

She knew her father still had more to say, but with the upset look on Callie's face she didn't have time to let him talk. "I have to go. We'll talk more later." She pulled the phone away from her ear and hit the end button before he could respond, setting it down on the counter before turning to face her girlfriend. "Callie…" She said softly, reaching up to brush away a tear before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Callie's free hand, found its way to Arizona's side, gently caressing up and down the pale skin. When their lips parted, she affixed the blonde with a loving smile, her tears starting to dry on her cheeks. "Um Arizona…not that I'm complaining or anything, but where's your shirt?"

It was almost comical how Arizona's eyes widened as she looked down at her bare torso. "I-I was wet and I didn't want to make Sofia cold…" With the high emotions from the conversation with her father, she'd forgotten about the kangaroo hold. "Oh God. You must think I'm some sort of pervert, walking around half naked with your daughter." She started to move towards the nursery to retrieve her discarded shirt. "Callie I-I-I…"

The brunette cut her off with a chuckle. "Arizona, you're not a pervert. You're smart." She caught her arm and gently pulled her back to the counter, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Sofia doesn't like to be wet. Here, come here." She changed her grip so that she was holding the blonde's delicate hand and led her into the nursery, letting go only to lay the sleeping baby back in her crib. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arizona lean over to retrieve her discarded clothing. Before the peds surgeon could swing the still damp shirt back around her shoulders, Callie held her hand again, leading her back into the now light living room.

Other than Arizona's quick change in the attendings' lounge a few weeks earlier, this was more of the blonde than Callie had seen in a year and she couldn't get enough. She ran her hands gently down Arizona's sides, stopping to rest them on jean clad hips. "You are amazing Arizona." She raised a hand to tuck a lock of wet blond hair behind the other woman's ear, this time bringing her hand down to rest against Arizona's rib cage, her thumb sliding over a puckered horizontal scar between two ribs. Callie hadn't seen it when Arizona had changed clothes at work, but after seeing Daniel's pictures, she knew the chest tube scar would be there.

Arizona's eyes left Callie's face and traveled to her hand, frowning when she saw where it rested. "Callie…" She was ashamed of her scars. Though none of them compared to her missing leg, she still hated the scar above her eyebrow and the one on her back that Callie had not yet seen. She also hated the discolored, granulated scar on her right calf from where one of the damn vultures had pecked at her a few moments before she had been rescued. And, even though it hadn't been caused in the accident, she hated her scar from the chest tube…these scars made her feel even more ugly than she already felt because of the leg.

"Arizona." Callie said gently. "We all have scars." She untucked her own shirt and pulled it off over her head, turning so that the blonde could see a similar scar on Callie's right side. She smiled when she saw Arizona start to nibble on her lip as she raised a hand to lightly touch the scar. "I had a chest tube from a hemothorax, oh and open heart surgery." She pointed to the vertical line running down the center of her chest, disappearing into her black bra. "And abdominal surgery." She pointed to the line that ran across her upper abdomen. "And a C-section." She lowered the waist band of her pants slightly to point out the thin white line on her lower abdomen. "Not to mention stretch marks." She grinned when she heard the blonde get out a little giggle.

"You don't have stretch marks Callie."

"Oh yes I do." She pointed out a few on her belly. "And my thighs? Oh yeah, they look like someone drew all over me with purple marker."

"Calliope, you're beautiful." Arizona spoke sincerely. She didn't see the scars. To her, Callie was a caramel skinned Goddess among women, the picture of perfection.

"Baby…" Callie took her hand and led her into the bedroom. "So are you. You are the most beautiful woman I have seen in my life. Every time you smile, you take my breath away." She gently nudged the blonde to sit on the bed before kneeling on the mattress beside her. "Those dimples. And gorgeous blue eyes." She caressed Arizona's cheek, grinning as the pale skin blushed under her palm. "And yes, you have scars, and you have a prosthetic leg. But that doesn't change the way I see you." She paused, observing the other woman closely, "You really don't know how beautiful you are do you?" Though she was smiling, it broke her heart to see the uncertainty in the peds surgeon's eyes.

"How can you say that Callie?" Her voice was soft as she looked up at her lover.

"Because it's the truth." Callie said simply. "I know you're not ready and I will never pressure you, but do you know how fricken' hard it is for me to not take you right here and now? I am in love with you Arizona Robbins, scars and all." Her smile widened as she saw Arizona's blush deepen.

Being spoken about as an object of affection, attraction…it was not something that Arizona had ever expected to hear again. But there was something in the way that the brunette said it, that Arizona knew she was speaking the truth. It astounded her though, how someone as remarkable as Callie Torres could possibly want her…want all of her in the damaged body she had now.

"I know it's going to take time for you to believe me Arizona. But I'm not going anywhere. And I'm not going to be with anyone else ever again." She pulled the petite blonde into her arms, relishing in the feel of their bare skin pressed against each other. "It's you and only you."

* * *

**Yay more intimacy. **

**Please let me know what you think. Hearing from y'all makes my day!**


	57. Part VIII: Ch 7

**Wow, thank you guys so much for your feed back on the last chapter. Y'all are awesome!**

**Also, I just wanted to point something out: Even though it's been about 20 chapters, Callie and Arizona have really only been "dating" for about a week. But to be honest, this doesn't seem too fast. Because they already had a relationship and they are rebuilding this one on love and trust. But just for shits and giggles, here's the timeline.**

**Day 1: Abbie's surgery, Stark gets fired, Callie accosts Arizona at Joe's :-D**

**Day 2: Arizona gets called in early. They miss dinner because of surgery and have a yogurt date in Arizona's office. Arizona takes Sofia home.**

**Day 3: Mark makes a fuss about Arizona taking Sofia home, Callie gives him a piece of her mind and asks Arizona to stay, but she can't because there is nothing available for her safety. She goes home and doesn't come to work. Callie finds her at home sick.**

**Days 4-6: Largely skipped because Arizona was sick-we can assume that she and Callie were cute and sweet.**

**Day 7: Mark revamps Callie's apartment, the staff meeting and Owen is announced as Chief. Arizona's parents show up and meet Callie and Sofia. Alex's surgery and Arizona passes out from phantom pain. Callie takes Arizona home and they have that heart to heart about surviving the desert.**

**Day 8: Arizona's folks come over for dinner, Arizona gets called in to work with Teddy, Daniel shows Callie the pictures, Callie freaks out and Arizona comes home.**

**Day 9: They have their heart to heart in the middle of the night about scars and that is where we pick up now.**

**So yeah-expedited timeline, but I feel that it is realistic for them. Also I think it's like early October at this point in time. Sofia's about 2.5 ish months old. And I really think that Calzona doing Halloween with her would be super cute.**

**Anywho. On with the story: (mistakes are mine, Grey's isn't).**

* * *

Callie walked back from the nursery after changing Sofia's diaper. When she entered the room she smiled softly when she saw Arizona sitting on the edge of the bed. The blonde's prosthetic was already on the floor and her pants were folded and pinned beneath her residual limb. Sadly for Callie, she had also put a t-shirt back on. "Hey." She said softly as she walked over and sat on the bed beside the quiet woman. Pressing a kiss to the blonde's cheek, she rested her hand against Arizona's back. "You ready for bed?"

Arizona blushed. "Bed yes. Sleep no." She paused, chewing her lip as she met Callie's questioning brown eyes. "Will you hold me Calliope?" Her voice came out unsure and childlike, causing her to cringe at her own insecurity.

The brunette laughed happily. "Yes Arizona. Of course. Of course I'll hold you. Why are you so embarrassed sweetheart?" She used her thumb to caress a reddened cheek before standing up and planting a kiss on her head. She walked around the bed and slipped into her side as she waited for the blonde to answer.

Arizona swung her leg up into the bed and pulled the covers up to her waist as she looked at the woman next to her. "I used to be confident. I knew that when I asked, people would want to be with me. Hell, I practically assaulted you in the bathroom before I'd even met you. I want to be that woman again."

"You want to kiss random ladies in a dirty bar bathroom?" Callie asked teasingly, pulling Arizona into her arms. She was trying to lighten the mood to keep the blonde open and talking to her.

"What!" Arizona's eyebrows shot up as she pulled back slightly to look at the Latina. "No you goof. I don't want to kiss random ladies. I want to kiss you."

Taking the opportunity presented by Arizona's words Callie leaned over and stole a quick kiss from the blonde before pulling back and grinning. "Good cause I only want to kiss you."

The blonde smiled. "I can be okay with that." Her smile faltered slightly and she caught Callie's eye. "Do you remember back when you were a resident and your father found out about us? You were avoiding me and I thought you were breaking up with me?"

"Yes and you gave me the 'There's women lining up for me, I'm hot' speech?" Callie chuckled.

Arizona nodded her head. "I want to be that woman again. Filled with confidence and oozing…" She spun her hand around looking for the right word. "Sex."

Callie couldn't have smiled harder if she tried. "Well I said it earlier Arizona, sex appeal is definitely not something that you're lacking." She laughed again when the blonde made a skeptical face at her, pausing to tuck an errant strand of hair behind Arizona's ear. "And you'll get that woman back. I know you will. You're already showing her at work. She's peeking out little by little and I'm seeing more of her each day." She pushed herself up on her elbow so that she was looking down at the other woman.

Arizona tilted her head so she was looking up at Callie. "I'm trying. And I get to the point where I almost think I've got it. Like tonight, in the OR with Teddy. I'm me again. But then there's what happened in the OR the other day." She thought back to Alex's gastric stimulator procedure that she had observed. "I had to leave a surgery because there was this crippling pain in a part of me that no longer exists. The old Arizona would _never_ leave an operation for personal reasons."

"I know." Callie frowned, raising a hand to stroke a pale cheek. "I know. We'll figure it out Arizona. I promise we'll figure it out."

"We?"

"Of course. We're a team. You don't have to do anything alone ever again."

Arizona's face lit up, her blue eyes sparkling, "I think I like the sound of that." She threw her arm around Callie's neck before pulling the other woman towards her to steal a tender kiss.

* * *

"Alright everyone." Owen Hunt addressed the assembled surgeons from the lobby stairwell. "Last night's rainstorm means that we can't have practice today as was originally planned. So I've reserved the field for tomorrow at 8:00 am. The game is in five days and we're behind so we need to practice hard tomorrow. If there are any particular positions you want to play, please let me know. Dr. Kepner is organizing our team jerseys, so please make sure to give her your size." He took a moment to consult his notes. "The ORs are full today people so we need to stay on task. Now go save lives."

The chief stepped off the steps and walked back through his assembled staff as they started to chatter amongst themselves, some of them going to give April their sizes while some of them wandered off to their respective departments. "Dr. Robbins? A word?"

The blonde pediatric surgeon spun around from where she was talking to Teddy and Callie. "Sir?"

"Take a walk with me?" He gestured with his head down the hall.

"Okay." She looked back over her shoulder and shot her best friend and girlfriend a confused look, getting unsure shrugs in return before she turned back to her boss and started to follow him down the hall. Once they were away from the lobby, she looked up at him. "Dr. Hunt, what is it you wanted to talk about." She chewed the inside of her cheek, trying to control her authority issues and remain professional in front of her boss.

"Yes, well," He approached the door of his office, unlocking it and gesturing for her to go inside. Once she was standing in his office, he turned back to her. "Are you planning to play next week? I didn't see your name on the list Dr. Kepner had of people who have signed up."

Arizona's brow furrowed. "Owen, you know I can't…"

"No, Arizona you think you can't. Here, come here." He sat down at his desk and opened up his laptop, gesturing for to come around the desk.

"Owen…" She said warily as she crossed behind his desk and watched him go into his email.

"Robbins, you played ball in college, we can use you. And even if you hadn't played, I still want you to join us."

"I'll only hold you back." She spoke softly. Earlier in the week, she had told Callie and Teddy that she didn't mind just watching her friends play but after thinking on it and after her talk with Callie, both about better prosthetics and getting back to herself she had come to be disappointed that she would be sitting on the sidelines.

"I bet you'll surprise yourself. Look at this." He opened an attachment from an email and a video immediately started to play, revealing a softball field.

"_Hey doc. Greetings from Maui." _The young man who was now in front of the camera waved with a small smile. _"I'm happy you asked me to film this for you. Hopefully I'll hit big today and not let you down." _He chuckled and pulled on a softball helmet. _"Hey Molly, I'm up." _It seemed like he was speaking to the person behind the camera who followed him as he walked towards the batter's box. As the man distanced himself from the lens, Arizona was able to see the shiny silver metal that made up his lower right leg.

Owen paused the video and looked up at his attending peds surgeon. "His name is Kai, he served with me in Afghanistan and I was there the day his Humvee hit an IED. That was about three years ago. He's been playing on this able bodied softball team for the past two." He looked up and saw the blonde standing with her arms crossed over her chest, nervously chewing on her thumbnail. "Can I show you the rest of it?" He knew it was a risk to approach Arizona like this but he didn't want her to pass up an opportunity just because she didn't think she could do it.

Arizona's eyes were fixed on the computer screen as she nodded.

He gave her a kind smile before hitting play again. Together they watched Kai position himself beside the plate and raise his bat. The first pitch came and he let it pass. _"Ball,"_ The umpire hollered, _"1-0."_ The ball was tossed back to the pitcher and in a few seconds another pitch came which Kai also let pass. _"Strike! 1-1."_

"_Come on Baby, you've got this!"_ The woman behind the camera shouted, and Owen chuckled.

"That's Molly filming...and screaming. She's his wife. They got married last year."

Arizona gave her boss a small smile as her attention was drawn back to the screen. The pitcher had the ball again and swung his arm around, releasing another pitch…Which Kai swung at. There was the loud _thunk_ of a ball hitting a bat and a hard grounder passed between second and third base, bouncing passed the outfielders and out of the frame of view as the camerawoman swung the camera around to follow her husband as he ran through first base, skidding to a stop along the baseline to second and dashing back to first just before the first baseman caught the ball. Arizona saw the man get called safe before the video skipped and Kai was back in front of the camera.

"_Well…we lost." _He started. _"But we're not very good anyways." _He chuckled. _"Alright Hunt. I gotta go. Talk to you soon man. And tell that friend of yours that she shouldn't skip out on playing just because she's got a bum leg. I bet she'll surprise herself. I know I did the first time I played post-op. __A hui hou kākou."_ The camera turned off and Owen spun around to look up at the blonde.

She moved her thumb nail away from her mouth. She knew that amputees and other persons with disabilities played sports, some as well as professional able bodied athletes. Wasn't that the point of the Paralympics? During her recovery, her father had tried to show her clips of the 2008 games, but she hadn't been very receptive at that point. Since then, the idea of playing sports hadn't really been on her radar so she hadn't sought out the information. "Hunt…he's still got his knee. I don't. I can't even run."

"Arizona, above the knee amputees also play softball, and many other sports. I just asked Kai to shoot this because I know him personally. If you can't run, we'll get you a pinch runner. This is just supposed to be a fun game between two very overworked and under slept teams of surgeons. So like he said, you shouldn't skip out. I bet you will surprise yourself. You're obviously doing something right because you had everyone fooled until your prosthetic broke. I worked with you for two months and didn't suspect that you had a prosthetic leg. That says something about your agility and balance Arizona."

Arizona blushed a little and pursed her lips to try to suppress a smile. She did have everyone fooled, except for the people that she had showed the prosthetic to. And she _had_ conquered four flights of stairs the night before. Maybe she was stronger than she thought! She tapped her thumb against her chin as she contemplated her answer. The old Arizona, the pre-plane crash Arizona, would have been all over this opportunity to play softball with her friends and colleagues, especially if a certain orthopedic surgeon was going to be sporting a tight little jersey…And she really wanted to be that old Arizona again. She looked up at her boss with a small smile. "Okay. I'll play."

* * *

Callie unhooked her phone from her hip as the device started to buzz. Unlocking the screen she opened a new text from Arizona, grinning as she read the message:

_Peds on-call. I know you put Owen up to that. You are so in trouble Calliope. :-) –xo AR._

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this. Back to studying for me. Ugh this is gonna be one of those nights where sleep may not happen. **

**Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from all of you and really appreciate your feed back. It makes my day!**


	58. Part VIII: Ch 8a

**I know it's short. But it's fun/romantic so I hope that makes up for it. Besides, I thought you guys would like to have _something_ tonight, even if it is just one (Calzona-filled) scene.**

**Please also note, that this is not a stand-alone chapter. It is actually the first half of the chapter. The second will be posted once its written.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Callie tapped lightly on the on-call room door. She wasn't quite sure what she'd find when she opened it, but she knew Arizona's text had been more joking rather than upset. Quietly opening the door, she stuck her head in to see Arizona, clad in her navy blue scrubs sitting on the bed, looking at her expectantly. She grinned as she slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. "Hey you."

The blonde pursed her lips, trying not to smile. Had Callie gone to Owen behind her back last month, or even a week ago, she would have been angry, upset, embarrassed… but after the conversation that they had had in bed last night and the amazing rest she had gotten wrapped in the brunette's arms, she couldn't find a way to be anything other than happy with Callie Torres. "You are so in trouble Calliope." She spoke softly, trying not to laugh as she pushed herself off the bed and walked over to the orthopedic surgeon.

Callie could see the mischievous sparkle in Arizona's blue eyes and watched as she continued to lose the battle to suppress her grin, her dimples starting to pop despite her best efforts. "Oh?" Callie raised her eyebrows as Arizona stepped closer and braced her arms against the wall, effectively trapping Callie in front of her.

"Mmhmm." She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the Latina's plump lips. "Thank you Calliope." She whispered, resting her forehead against her girlfriend's.

"Of course." She smiled, tucking a loose strand of Arizona's hair behind her ear before gently grabbing the blonde's cheeks and turning her head up for another kiss. "You're going to look so hot in a baseball jersey. And pigtails." She started to play with Arizona's hair again. This time wrapping one of the braids around her fingers.

Arizona giggled. "I thought the same thing about you in a jersey. That was a big motivator for me to play." She stole a quick kiss before taking Callie's hand and leading her to the bottom bunk.

Callie watched her curiously as she slid onto the bed, scooting back against the wall.

"Join me?" She held her hand out to her girlfriend, smiling when the brunette slid onto the bed beside her, automatically taking the blonde in her arms. "I don't have surgery for an hour and I took the liberty of checking to see that you don't either." She molded herself against Callie. "And, added bonus. We're both covering the ER at 4:00!"

The brunette let out a deep chuckle. "I was supposed to be in the ER with Jeffers and Bailey. What strings did you just pull?"

"Hey!" The blonde lifted her head and gave her girlfriend a teasing glare. "No strings. I'm department head. I made Jeffers switch with me. So it'll be you, me, and Bailey. It's gonna be fun." She giggled before laying her head down on Callie's chest.

Callie couldn't help the snort she let out. "What has gotten into you Arizona." She definitely wasn't complaining.

"Nothing!" Arizona exclaimed as she started to use her finger tip to absentmindedly trace circles on Callie's scrub clad stomach. "I'm just happy. For the first time in a very long time, I can genuinely say that I'm happy." She pushed herself back up on her elbow and looked down at the orthopedic surgeon. "I mean, I know I'll still have bad days. But not today." She shook her head with a smile before laying it back down on Callie's chest.

The brunette grinned. Arizona was coming back. Just like they had discussed the night before. She relished in the feel of the blonde's weight against her chest, the soothing motion of her delicate fingers tracing pictures around the Latina's bellybutton. This was _her_ Arizona.

Callie knew it wasn't permanent, just like the blonde had said. There would still be good days and bad. Great and awful. But today was definitely shaping up to be one of those great days. Callie tipped her head down, burying her nose in Arizona's hair. "I am so proud of you. For everything. For deciding to play…"

"Hey, don't be proud of me just yet. I'll probably be terrible and fall on my face. But you were right Callie. I can't just stop doing things because I only have one leg." She paused, rolling over so that she could lay face to face with the other surgeon. "Yeah, stuff is gonna be hard and some things still really really suck but I'm starting to feel like me again, and I have you to thank for that. You're amazing."

Callie shook her head, her eyes filling up with tears as she smiled at the woman in her arms. "Arizona, _you _did that. It was all you." She swallowed and tilted her head forward against the blonde's, shutting her eyes. In the years they had known each other, through all the months they had dated in the past, Callie had never been more in love with this woman then she was right now. "I never want to let you go again."

Arizona's breath caught in her throat as she brought her hand up to wipe away the tears that had spilled onto Callie's cheeks. "I'm not going anywhere. Calliope?"

"Hmm?"

"Kiss me."

The ortho surgeon opened her eyes, staring into bright blue ones that looked back at her with nothing but love. "I can do that." She leaned in, capturing the blonde's lips with her own.

What started as a soft kiss melted into something deeper as Arizona moaned, grabbing ahold of the Latina's scrub top before pulling Callie on top of her. Callie quickly repositioned herself so that she straddled the blonde's hips, holding her weight up with her hands as Arizona's arms flew around her neck. She felt slight pressure on the back of her neck as the woman under her pulled her head down, forcing their lips more forcefully together. Callie's calf pressed uncomfortably against the plastic of the prosthetic that the blonde was still wearing, but neither woman seemed to care about the metal limb as their tongues battled for dominance.

Pulling back briefly for air, Callie looked down at her lover, grinning when she saw Arizona's swollen lips. The blonde's eyes were still closed and she was breathing heavily, waiting for another kiss which Callie gladly supplied. "I love you." Arizona murmured into her mouth before leaning her head forward and deepening the kiss.

After several seconds Callie pulled back slightly so that she could return the sentiment. "I love you too." She moved forward to kiss the blonde one more time but was stopped when the door to the hall clicked open. Both women quickly turned their heads to see who had interrupted their passionate make-out session, staring like deer in the headlights as Miranda Bailey became visible in the doorway.

The general surgeon had just wanted a nap before her ER shift. The on-call rooms in the general surgery ward and the ICU had been full so she ventured down to peds. The door had been unlocked and she definitely had not expected to see two of her friends on top of each other. Despite the fact that both women were still fully clothed it was more than she had ever wanted to know about. Huffing in frustration, Bailey put her hands on her hips as she looked at the two women, watching Callie roll off Arizona before both surgeons' cheeks heated up in an embarrassed blush. "Whoever made the schedule owes me a drink." She turned around. "Can't believe I gotta work with both of you tonight. All of you sexed up surgeons…It's a wonder anything gets done around here. You'd think…" Her rambling trailed off as she left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

Once they were alone again there was a second of silence before their eyes met and they burst out into laughter.

* * *

**Ah, caught by Bailey.**

**More to come soon. I believe the next part is some ER time and then one other scene-haven't decided what yet.**

**Please please let me know what you think. It makes my day and motivates me to write. Y'all are the best.**

**A hui hou kākou.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	59. Part VIII: Ch 8b

**I really should be studying right now but I had to get this written.**

**I can't believe you guys, 700 reviews? Holy smokes Batman! You. Are. Amazing! Thank you so much!**

**Please notice that this is the second half of the chapter that I posted last night. Enjoy!**

**Also, please note that Meredith is not doing OBGYN (like she was in the show at this point). That is one frustration I have with Grey's. General surgery residents just can't switch to other residencies at will. (Secondly-while I'm ranting- none of the residents would ever scrub in on Callie's service either. Ortho has its own residency. If you want to do ortho, you match into ortho out of med school. If you match into general (which all of the residents are) you rotate through all the other surgical subspecialties and can do fellowships in things like peds, trauma, cardio, neuro, urogenital, plastics. I think ENT also has it's own separate residency program but since I have no interest in doing that I never really looked into it. Rant over. Enjoy part 2 of the chapter.**

* * *

"So nice of you both to join me." Bailey said sarcastically when Arizona and Callie walked over to her in the ER. She looked up from the charts she was filling out to fix both surgeons with a disapproving look.

It was now several hours after Bailey had walked in on them in the on-call room but Arizona still blushed as she walked over to log onto the computer while Callie just chuckled. "Sorry Bailey."

The general surgeon sighed as she handed Callie a chart. "No its fine, I'm happy for you both. You deserve for something good to finally happen. Just lock the damn door next time. I don't need to be seeing that!" She paused as the brunette snickered. "Okay." The petite woman juggled the charts in her arms. "Torres you've got a dislocated knee in bed 2. Robbins, six year old possible asthma attack in 8." She handed Callie her chart and waited for the orthopedic surgeon to walk off before approaching the peds surgeon and handing her her chart. "How are you doing Arizona? I haven't seen you since you were sick."

The blonde quickly flipped through the chart before tilting her head to smile at her friend. "I'm doing really well Bailey. Thank you. How is your research going? You took over the Chief's diabetes project right?"

"The former Chief's." Bailey grumbled.

"Yeah. Can't get used to that. Well good luck!" Arizona fixed her with her trademark dimpled grin before wandering off to her patient. When she approached the bed, she threw back the curtain, the smile still on her face. "Hi Dylan, I'm Dr. Robbins." She looked at the little boy in the bed. He wore a nasal cannula, providing him with supplemental oxygen, but he just looked miserable. "I'm just going to give you a little more oxygen so it's easier to breathe." She turned up the nasal cannula to 2.5 L oxygen before turning to the nervous looking woman standing beside the bed. "Are you Dylan's mom?"

She nodded, moving her thumb away from her mouth where he had been chewing on her nail. "Yes. He's been sick for a few days but today all of the sudden he started wheezing. I gave him his rescue inhaler and it didn't do anything. So I brought him here."

Arizona nodded her head as she held the boy's wrist, feeling his pulse. "His heart is racing. Did they give him a breathing treatment when you got here?"

"Albuterol, yeah."

"Ah." The peds surgeon nodded, putting her stethoscope in her ears. "That can do it, though he may be a little quick just because he's sick. Dylan, I'm just going to listen to your chest okay?" She smiled comfortingly when the little boy nodded before raising his gown to place her stethoscope on his chest. She made a mental note that he was using his accessory muscles to breathe as she listened to his heart. Moving her stethoscope, she listened to the anterior lung fields, growing concerned when she heard the high pitched whistle of stridor. She took her stethoscope off and slung it back around her neck. "Okay, it sounds like he's having some trouble getting air out. Has he complained of any sore throat?" She felt the glands in the boy's neck while she waited for the mom to answer, her fingers palpating very enlarged tonsillar lymph nodes. She grabbed a tongue depressor from the supply cart and fished her penlight out of her pocket. "Open up buddy."

"Strep has been going around his school. He did start complaining about it this morning when he wouldn't eat breakfast."

Arizona pressed down on the boy's tongue, squinting as she shined her light into his mouth. "Does he snore? Dylan stick out your tongue for me and say 'ah'."

"Oh God yes. Like a freight train."

"Ah." Dylan did as he was asked.

"More so in the last few days?" Arizona looked in the back of his throat before clicking off her penlight.

"I guess so. Yeah. I'd say so." The mom watched her curiously.

"Well…good news. It's probably not strep." She removed the tongue depressor and tossed it in the trash before squeezing her patient's shoulder. "Bad news, he's got some pretty angry tonsils."

"Is that something serious?" The mom's face immediately took on a look of concern.

"It can be. But you brought him here before he got to that point. We can treat him with antibiotics but I would really recommend just having the tonsils removed."

"So surgery?"

"Mmhmm." Arizona nodded. "But it's a really short and easy one and as an added bonus it would help with his snoring. We'd operate, and then keep him over night just for observation and he can go home the next day. And then Dylan, guess what! You get all the ice cream you want!" She grinned at the boy who gave her a weak smile in return.

His mom smiled sadly, looking back at the doctor. "He really isn't feeling well if ice cream can't cheer him up." She sighed. "When would you do the surgery?"

"It depends. When is the last time he had anything to eat or drink?"

"Last night. He wouldn't touch anything today. Even water."

Arizona nodded, looking at her watch. "Okay well then depending on if I can get an OR and if my ENT is available we can operate tonight. I'll have one of the residents work on getting him admitted and I'll come talk to you once we have a plan." She held her hand out to shake and once she had said goodbye to the mother and her little patient she walked back into the main ER. "Oh, hey. Grey! Come here." She shouted after the fifth year resident who was walking down the hall. "Can you work a kid up for admission for a tonsillectomy for me? Bed 8. You can scrub in. I have to go find Sloan." She waited until she saw Meredith nod and head for the room before she traipsed over to the elevator.

Riding the car up to the floor to the floor that Plastics shared with ENT, she always wondered if that strange arrangement of services was simply because of Mark Sloan's double board certified status as a plastic surgeon _and _otolaryngologist. Maybe. She shrugged to herself as she stepped out of the car. Or maybe it was because plastics had extra space because the burn trauma unit was up in the ICU.

Well, regardless how the department set up had come to be, it made it very convenient when anyone was looking for Mark Sloan, as long as they checked the on-call rooms first…

Stopping in front of his office, she knocked on the door causing it to swing open because it hadn't been properly latched. She stepped in and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she suddenly felt like Miranda Bailey, only in the X-rated version, because there on the couch, only partially wrapped in a blanket, were a very naked Lexie Grey and Mark Sloan. "Oh God!" Her eyes went wide as the pair looked up at her before startling themselves, causing Lexie to take a very ungraceful tumble off the couch, pulling the blanket with her. "Oh God!" Arizona said again in horror as she saw more of Mark Sloan than she had ever cared to. She dashed back into the hall, slamming the door shut behind her as she contemplated going down to maintenance to find some bleach to scrub the image of _Little Sloan_ from her brain.

* * *

"Hey." Mark said awkwardly as he stepped into the scrub room and stood next to Arizona at the sink.

The pediatric surgeon had already been in there for a few minutes, scrubbing in before Dylan's tonsillectomy. She tilted her head up to him and fixed him with a smirk. "I thought you said Lexie hadn't taken you back."

"Yeah. Well…" He rubbed the back of his neck before ripping open a bar of soap. "You're kind of the reason she took me back."

"Oh really?" A perfectly manicured blonde eyebrow raised in amusement.

He frowned. "Don't be upset okay?" He just watched her eyebrows raise higher. "During Karev's surgery. When you had that episode of phantom pain and I brought you back here…Lex…"

"Was impressed by your maturity and compassion?" Arizona couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips.

"Yeah." He blushed, starting to scrape under his nails with the pick before he wet the bar of soap and started to scrub. "She said I grew up. And that she wanted to try again. So thanks Robbins."

She laughed. "Hey don't thank me. I am still so grateful for what you did for me Mark. It wasn't something that I ever expected from you. But you have been so good to me and Callie lately and you deserve this happiness. Plus Callie is going to be ecstatic." She was telling the truth when she said that she was happy for her fellow surgeon. Mark had always been more even headed when he was with Lexie which would be great for him as a father. Plus, having the young surgeon in Sofia's life would be an added bonus. Arizona really did admire Lexie Grey and thought she would be a fantastic role model. She held this secret hope that Lexie would follow in Karev's footsteps and apply for a pediatric surgery fellowship but she had a suspicion that the resident would probably choose Neuro. Arizona stepped off the water pump and held her hands out in front of her as they dripped into the sink. She looked back up at Mark, "But don't mess up again okay. Because Little Grey deserves to be happy too."

"I won't screw up. I think I learned my lesson."

"Good. Also, Meredith is scrubbing in with us today so I'd keep my mouth shut about you and her sister."

"Good idea."

"And, you owe me a drink because seeing you naked…." She shuddered.

"Oh you know you liked it Robbins!"

She rolled her eyes and fixed him with a teasing smile as she opened the door with her back. "I'm gay Mark. You're just not quite my type." She chuckled and stepped out into the hall, making her way into the OR to gown and glove.

* * *

Callie and Arizona were a little late getting to the baseball pitch due to a confusion of dates by Sofia's babysitter. Thanking God that her girlfriend's parents were still in town, Callie had suggested taking Sofia to Arizona's condo so that the Robbins could watch the tiny Latina.

When Arizona had called, Barbara had gladly agreed, unable to get enough of the little baby so Callie and Arizona had driven Sofia and her diaper bag over on their way to the field. But getting away from her parents had proved to be a little harder than expected.

Arizona had never called Daniel back after hanging up on him a day ago. And, trying to do as she had asked, Daniel had given her a day to cool down in an attempt to respect her privacy. But now that they were in the same room, he wanted to put things to rest. Taking her arm gently, he pulled her away from her girlfriend and mother. "How are you doing Arizona?" He couldn't help but smile. In her t-shirt and jeans with blonde braids sticking out from underneath a baseball cap, his thirty-five year old daughter looked just like she did as a teenager.

"I'm good." She smiled up at him from under the brim of her USMC ball cap. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you the other night. I just…"

"No, it's okay. You were right. Your mother and I talked and we realized that we…I had overstepped. We just…we worry about you sweetheart." He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight. "I know, you're going to tell me that we don't need to. But as parents, that's our job. You'll learn that soon enough with Sofia."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sofia's not my daughter dad."

He chuckled. "You and Callie both act like she is. And I wouldn't be surprised if you do one day end up being her mama." He spoke softly so that the other women in the room didn't overhear. Initially it had shocked him how maternal his daughter was with her girlfriend's child but when he realized just how in love Callie and Arizona were, he saw it as a natural progression in their relationship. Plus, he had to admit that he hoped Arizona _would_ be the girl's mom one day because he would love to have a granddaughter.

Arizona couldn't help the grin that spread on her face. She really liked the sound of that. "Shh." She said, her dimples still popping. "We haven't even been dating that long. But yes. One day I want to marry Callie."

"I'll be there to walk you down the aisle." He saw her grin widen as she threw her arms around him. Daniel squeezed her tight, pressing a kiss to her temple before releasing her. "Okay, you get going. I'm so happy you're playing softball again. Your mom and I want to come to the game."

"I'd like that." She nodded. "Bye dad." The blonde squeezed his hand before walking back to Callie. After saying goodbye to her mother and planting a loving kiss on Sofia's head she and the brunette got back in the car and started on their way to softball practice.

* * *

**I hope Slexie fans are happy :-D**

**Arizona and Callie really do need to have "the talk" about Sofia.**

**But baseball practice comes next.**

**Back to work for me, but please please please let me know what you think. I really appreciate you taking the time to read.**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat* (does anyone want my cat? He's decided that knocking everything off my desk would be a fun way to spend the night)**


	60. Part VIII: Ch 9

**Ugh, I should not be posting this right now. I really need to be studying. But this would not leave me alone so I had to crank it out (over the course of a weekend during short little five minute study breaks)-so I apologize if it's a little disjointed.**

**I'm going for realism with this chapter. Ie, what challenges Arizona may face playing softball and how she's able to adapt.**

**Thanks for your feed back so far. Please enjoy!**

**P.S. remember Dr. Whit is an Ortho resident that I made up way back at the beginning of the story (he shows up again since there were random surgeons on the softball team and not just our favorite characters)**

* * *

"What did we miss?" Callie asked as she and Arizona stepped into the dugout.

"What? Oh, nothing." Owen looked up from his playbook and squinted at the surgeons who were already attempting to practice on the field. I've got Shepherd pitching, Sloan on first, Karev, Avery, and Little Grey at second, short, and third. Yang and Grey are in the outfield…not doing anything." He stepped out of the dugout and shouted towards his wife and her best friend who were sitting on the grass. "Yang, Grey, look alive. You could at least stand up!"

"Hi Honey!" Cristina waved back at him and the twisted sisters just laughed before resuming their conversation in deep right field.

Owen walked back into the dugout grumbling to himself. Several of the surgeons seemed excited to play, but most looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. He didn't understand. This was supposed to be fun! "Bailey and Whit are in the outfield as well and Altman is up to bat."

"Is that Kepner in the catcher's gear?" Callie snorted. "She looks ridiculous."

Arizona pursed her lips, trying to suppress a smile. "Be nice Calliope." She nudged her girlfriend. "It's not easy to wear all that protection. Especially when it's hot out. Where do you want us Owen?"

"What did you play in college?" He had been so excited when she'd agreed to play that he hadn't considered what positions would be suitable for an above the knee amputee with a very basic prosthetic.

"Uh." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she squinted out at the field. "Catcher and some left field."

"Ooh I bet you looked cute in all that gear." Callie couldn't help but grin.

Arizona turned back to the conversation. "But I know I can't play catcher considering I can't squat." She ignored Callie's comment. "How about we go relieve Cristina and Meredith in right field so they can continue their cloud watching somewhere they might _not_ get hit by a ball."

Owen chuckled and nodded his head, making little annotations in his playbook. "Sounds good." He stepped back out of the box and once again hollered at the two surgeons who were sitting on the field. "Yang, Grey, bring it in."

Arizona tapped Callie's behind with her glove, giving her girlfriend a little smirk before stepping onto the field. "Come on Calliope, let's go." She watched the ground as she walked into the outfield, noticeably adopting a slower pace when she stepped onto the uneven grass. She found herself growing frustrated as she started to feel unsteady on the clumps of grass before turning and planting herself along the line where she hoped most left handed batters would hit. If the ball came to her, she'd be fine. But anywhere further than two or three steps away and she was screwed. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

Looking back towards home plate she saw Teddy step up, taking a few practice swings and almost clocking Kepner in the head. Thankful for her best friend's less than stellar skills, Arizona was able to just stand there as Derek easily struck out the Cardio surgeon.

"I thought Teddy said she was good."

Arizona looked up and realized that her girlfriend had migrated over from right center. "Hey." She chuckled. "What are you doing over here?"

"Eh, Whit's got all of center field covered. He told me that he couldn't show me up in an OR but he defiantly could on the ball field."

The blonde chuckled and looked back towards the field, seeing Teddy and Karev switch places. "You're letting your residents get a little cocky there Calliope."

"Hey." She shrugged. "If they matched into ortho, they deserve to be cocky. But he's a good guy. Plus it means I get to hang out with you." She tilted her head to get under the brim of the blonde's ball cap and planted a light kiss on Arizona's lips.

The couple jumped apart when they heard the crack of the bat and saw the ball flying to the far left. "Foul ball!" Owen shouted as they saw Karev reposition himself at the plate.

Someone retrieved the ball and threw it back to Shepherd and there was another crack as the young resident pulled the ball to the right, sending it to the ground between first and second base.

Callie yelped, jumping back. "It's coming here, it's coming here!"

Arizona saw Teddy attempt to slow the fast moving ball, barely tapping it with her glove as it continued on its path towards the outfield. The blonde didn't know if it was luck or some remaining vestiges of her college softball skill causing an automatic reflex, but she was able to take a few shuffling steps to her right and catch the ball as it bounced up off a clump of grass. Arching back on her right leg, she grasped the ball and sent it to Mark at first base, realizing a little too late that coming down on her left leg as she followed through on the throw was going to be a big problem. Her stiff left foot landed on the same clump of grass that had caused the ball to bounce and sent her stumbling, crashing into Callie's arms.

"Woah, hey are you okay?" Callie looked at her in concern as she helped her girlfriend steady herself on her feet.

"Yeah." _'No.'_ "Yeah. I'm fine." _'God damnit!'_ Arizona cursed in her head even as she forced a smile on her face.

"Okay." Callie smiled at her. "That was really hot." She kissed her cheek before releasing her, unaware of Arizona's internal frustrations.

Arizona gave her girlfriend a more genuine smile this time and planted herself on the grass again as "Good throw Robbins!" was shouted from the dugout.

The blonde was able to relax and actually enjoy herself as she watched several more of her colleagues and friends go up to bat while the others rotated through the field positions. Most of the surgeons either hit the ball to left field or were struck out by Shepherd. The one pop fly that did make it out to right was caught by Callie, much to the brunette's surprise.

The orthopedic surgeon stood still for a moment, staring at the white sphere in her glove before grinning. "I caught it!" She shouted, jumping up and down, the ball held high in her fist.

Arizona couldn't help the happy giggle that bubbled past her lips. "Throw it to Jackson you goof. Don't just hold onto it." She gestured to the shortstop, watching and then cringing as Callie's poorly released throw stopped short of second base, forcing Jackson to leave his post to retrieve the ball which allowed both Lexie and Whit to steal bases and score.

Callie blushed and looked back at Arizona with an apologetic smile.

The blonde just laughed again and walked over to the Latina, squeezing her hand before she saw Owen gesturing to them from the dugout as Cristina and Meredith traipsed (unhappily) back to the outfield. "Looks like it's our turn to bat. Come on Slugger." She rolled her eyes and maintained her grip on Callie's hand as they walked back to the dugout, her eyes trained on the ground until she got to the relatively even dirt surface of the infield. She stepped into the dugout, smiling at Teddy who was resting on the bench after her turn at bat and only hit of the day had resulted in the pop fly that Callie had caught.

"How'd right field work out for you Arizona?" Owen asked as he handed her a batting helmet.

She shrugged a shoulder, removing her ball cap and putting the plastic helmet on her head. "It didn't work too great actually. The grass is really uneven out there and I can't compensate. I may just have to ride the bench when we're defense." She tried to keep her voice light, trying to convince mostly herself that she wasn't upset about her new limitations. She felt Callie's hand rubbing the small of her back and turned to see an upset look on her girlfriend's face. It seemed Callie had clued into to the fact that Arizona was struggling.

Owen frowned, "I'm sorry, I didn't think about that."

She gave her boss a soft smile. "It's okay. Really. It's just a game." She was about to ask who her pinch runner was when a pager started to blare on the field.

All of the surgeons automatically checked their hips but it was Derek who held the offending device. "Hey Lexie, come on, we've got a consult." He started to walk back off the field, his resident following him as they neared the dugout.

Seeing this as an opportunity leave, the other surgeons started shouting for rides but were quickly silenced by Owen. "Come on guys, we've got 30 more minutes. This is our only practice so let's make it count." He clapped his hands, trying to stir up some enthusiasm in his troops. Most of the players glared or grumbled but stayed where they were as Owen started to flip through his roster, trying to fill his new gaps at the pitcher's mound and third base. "Dr. Webber!" Owen called out to his predecessor who was reading in the bleachers. "Can you take Little Grey's spot at third?" He was pleased when the man got up with a nod- at least someone seemed to want to be here…

There was a scuffling noise from the other side of the dugout as Teddy jumped up, bouncing excitedly. "Oh, I can pitch! Hunt, let me pitch!"

Her enthusiasm caused Arizona to chuckle even though she knew that this could turn into a disaster. "Oh let her pitch Owen. It's all for fun."

Knowing from personal experience how awful of a sportsman Teddy was, he had a gut feeling that this was a bad idea…He exhaled as he nodded his head. "Okay. Okay, Teddy, go pitch."

"Yes!" She pumped her fist in the air as she dashed out of the dugout to the pitcher's mound, a chorus of laughter following her.

"Alright Robbins, you're up." Owen smiled at the blonde, handing her a bat.

She took the familiar object, weighing it in her hands. "Who is running for me?"

"Uh…" the Chief looked down at his list. "Kepner!" He shouted at the redheaded surgeon who was sitting cross legged behind home plate still in full catcher's gear, using her finger to draw pictures in the dirt.

Her helmet encased head snapped up when she heard her name. "Yes sir!" She bounced up, rushing to her boss's side, running awkwardly in the clunky gear.

"Will you run for Dr. Robbins?"

April raised her facemask and looked towards Arizona who gave her a small smile. "Of course. Who is going to take over as catcher?" She asked as she started taking off all the armor.

"I can." He set his clipboard down and picked up the pieces she was taking off. "Torres, you'll bat after Arizona." Once he was in full gear he stepped out of the box. "Let me just warm up Teddy and then you're up Arizona."

The trio in the dugout watched as Teddy threw several wild pitches before April spoke up. "Wow. I'm glad I'm not catching any more. She almost killed me with the bat earlier. Now she's trying to kill us with the ball."

Callie snorted as Arizona pursed her lips, trying not to laugh, if only for the dignity of her best friend. "You'll want to stand to the left of Owen April, and back against the back stop. You need a helmet too." She instructed her pinch runner. "Thanks for doing this."

April laughed, Arizona was one of her favorite doctors, one she was always trying to impress…well she was trying to impress all of them but that was beside the point. "I don't mind at all." She picked up a helmet and slipped it onto her head, watching as Teddy finally threw a pitch that made it over home plate. "Well I guess that's our cue."

Arizona smiled, "I guess so." She gave Callie a little kiss on the cheek, earning a swat on the butt in return before she and April walked onto the field. Arizona took a few practice swings, trying to get her feel of the motion. It still took some precise movements, but coming down on her left foot like she did when swinging the bat was much easier on the level dirt than it was on the uneven terrain of the outfield. With a little twinge of excitement over the fact that she may _actually_ be able to participate, she took her place in the batter's box. "Come on Altman, show me what you've got!" She shouted teasingly towards her friend, getting a sarcastic laugh and stuck out tongue in return.

Arizona watched as Teddy wound up and released a pitch that sailed way over her head, causing Owen to have to jump up to catch it. "Bring it down Teddy." He continued to coach even as he threw the ball back to her.

Another pitch, this one way outside, caused Arizona to realize that she may get walked to first. That was something she definitely could do, though she'd still need the pinch runner once she got there. She repositioned herself as Teddy wound up the third pitch, this one coming in to close. Arizona tried to pull away but with all her weight planted on her real leg she wasn't able to move and the ball collided with her elbow.

Arizona had been hit by faster pitches in the past. Hell, she'd split her femur in two in a plane crash so she was no stranger to pain. And this was nothing compared to that agony. But that didn't mean that didn't _hurt_! She reflexively dropped her bat and grabbed her elbow, her eyes squeezing shut as the joint started to throb and numbness shot into her fourth and fifth fingers. It was like a really painful blow to the "funny bone."

"Oh my God! Arizona!" Teddy was on her way over as soon as she realized where her errant pitch had landed.

"It's fine. It's fine Teddy." The injured blonde opened her eyes which were still watering in pain. She felt the taller woman roll up her sleeve and start to examine the already swollen elbow before Arizona's orthopedic surgeon girlfriend nudged her out of the way.

"Let me see Sweetheart." Callie's voice was calm and soothing as she started her expert exam.

Looking up from her girlfriend's hands which were gently manipulating the painful joint she realized that she'd drawn a crowd and felt her cheeks start to heat up in an embarrassed blush.

Teddy was still looking at Arizona in concern, guilt written all over her face. She ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair. "I'm so sorry Arizona. I knew as soon as I released it that it was too close. Why didn't you move?" She chewed on her lip, a nervous tick she'd picked up from the woman in question.

"I couldn't." Arizona ground out through gritted teeth. She clenched her jaw harder as pain shot up through her arm while Callie continued to work.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry." Callie whispered, she was trying to make sure nothing was broken or out of place. It killed her that she was causing the woman she loved pain.

"You couldn't move?" That was Owen this time, looking at her, his gaze full of concern.

"No." Arizona's jaw was still tight. She felt embarrassed and humiliated as all her co-workers and friends gathered around her.

"Why not?"

Another painful twinge shot through her arm and that was the last straw. "Because I have one leg! All my weight was on that one leg! So no. I couldn't step back in time!" She registered the shocked looks on her friends faces before she slammed her eyes shut, already berating herself. She could still feel them staring before Callie's soft voice cut through the tension.

"Everyone, just give her some space okay. Just go."

* * *

**Poor Arizona. At least she's got Callie taking care of her.**

**Wish me luck on my assessment tomorrow and please let me know what you think!**


	61. Part VIII: Ch 10a

**So you'll notice that this is once again an (a) chapter (ie the first half). I tried so hard to finish it but I'm just so tired. I'm sorry :-(**

**Thank you for your reviews. This part is mostly just some sweet Calzona to distract us from what will happen tonight. *Fingers crossed that all works out for our ladies.* Also, I'm looking forward to some really good fanfic post the premiere. But I promise I won't read until I got the next bit up. I have something really adorable planned that I think you will all really like.**

* * *

"_You couldn't move?" That was Owen this time, looking at her, his gaze full of concern._

"_No." Arizona's jaw was still tight. She felt embarrassed and humiliated as all her co-workers and friends gathered around her._

"_Why not?"_

_Another painful twinge shot through her arm and that was the last straw. "Because I have one leg! All my weight was on that one leg! So no. I couldn't step back in time!" She registered the shocked looks on her friends faces before she slammed her eyes shut, already berating herself. She could still feel them staring before Callie's soft voice cut through the tension._

"_Everyone, just give her some space okay. Just go." _

Callie wrapped her arm around Arizona's waist, supporting her elbow as the blonde held her inured arm close to her chest. She gently pulled Arizona into her and applied a little pressure to her back to signal that they were going to move. Dipping her head down low so that she could speak softly to her girlfriend, they moved away from their co-workers. "I am so sorry." She made sure to keep the already swollen joint completely still. Callie looked at Arizona's paler than usual face and noticed the injured woman's teeth were clamped down hard on her lip. She looked uncomfortable. "We'll go check it out okay? I'm so sorry Arizona." She repeated herself as they approached Callie's SUV.

Arizona swallowed. "It's not your fault Callie. You didn't hit me." She winced as the brunette helped her into the car, nodding her head in thanks when Callie grabbed a sweatshirt from the back seat and put it under her arm. "It's not even Teddy's fault. It's a game. It happens. They… just don't understand is all." Arizona knew from personal experience, when a ball came flying at you, you move out of the way. That was expected. That was the norm. Only she had been frozen at the plate. With all her weight on her real leg, she had been unable to pick it up and step out of the way of Teddy's erratic pitch. She realized how strange her not moving must have seemed to the other surgeons. It was just hard to rationalize the inability to voluntarily move away from something.

"I know." Callie said, resting her hand against the doorjamb as she leaned into the passenger side, gently tucking an errant curl of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear. "And I'm not going to insult you by saying that I completely understand either. I don't think anyone can fully understand what you're going through except for you. Not me, not your parents. We can try, but until we've experienced what you survived, there is always going to be something that we cannot comprehend."

Arizona nodded her head, feeling her heart swell. Callie had just put Arizona's frustrations into words. Finally someone understood! The point is that they understood that they _wouldn't_ be able to understand everything. And that was the hardest thing. Her expression softened as she looked back at her girlfriend, feeling nothing but love…and a dull throbbing ache in her elbow…

Callie continued as she smiled at the blonde. "But let me just promise you now, I am here for you. I am committed 100%. Anytime you struggle, stumble, trip, or fall, I'm going to be there to set you right back on your feet and I know you'll do the same for me." She leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaning further over and buckling the blonde into her seat. "Whatever you can't do, I will. That's how this works."

Despite her residual embarrassment, frustration, and pain, Arizona couldn't help but smile at Callie's heartfelt confession. "Thank you Callie." With the brunette stretched across her lap to buckle the seatbelt, Arizona took advantage of the proximity and redirected Callie's face to hers for a light kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." She straightened back up. "Also, I'm taking you for x-rays. I don't think anything's broken, but I'm not willing to risk it."

The blonde nodded her head again, watching as Callie shut her door before walking around to the driver's side. A year ago, she would have protested, saying that she was fine, that it was just a bruise. But now that she relied on her arms to get around on crutches and in her wheelchair, she could see Callie's point. She could also see how much the brunette cared about her. And Arizona had to admit, that she had never felt so loved in her life.

* * *

Throwing the x-ray films on the light box, Callie flipped on the switch and the machine hummed to life. She'd already gotten the radiologist's report but she wanted to read them for herself. Satisfied, she turned to her patient. "Okay, nothing's broken or displaced. The report came back saying maybe a small effusion, but I don't really appreciate one. Do you?"

Arizona walked up alongside Callie and looked at the films for a second before shaking her head. "No."

A small smile played on Callie's lips. "_No_ because you don't see one or _no_ because you don't want me sticking a giant needle in your elbow to draw out fluid."

"Both." Arizona quickly deadpanned, looking up at her orthopedic surgeon girlfriend.

Callie chuckled, leaning over to place a kiss on the blonde's temple. "This should heal pretty quickly but I want to put you in a sling today just in case." She walked over to the supply cart and picked up a box, slipping the blue cloth out of its package.

Arizona grumbled, she knew it was coming, but it didn't mean she had to like it. "Can we at least wait until I get my scrubs on?"

"Your scrubs?" Callie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes…we both have to work today Calliope. I know I'll have to push my surgery but I can at least round on my patients and do my discharges. I already missed four days last week when I was sick."

"You're going to work with your arm in a sling?"

"I worked on crutches." The blonde quickly retorted.

Callie furrowed her brow for just a second before nodding. "True." She thought back to their late night McDonalds date with a smile. "Okay." She tucked the sling and a cold pack under her arm and put her hand on the small of Arizona's back, guiding her out of the room. None of their fellow surgeons were back at the hospital yet so they made their way into the empty attendings' lounge, shutting and locking the door behind them. Walking over to the shelf, Callie grabbed two sets of scrubs and tossed them, along with the medical supplies on the couch. "Are you still pretty mad at everyone?" She dropped down on the couch, beside the supplies, content to just rest a few minutes before getting dressed. She watched as Arizona carefully lowered herself to the couch beside her.

The blonde sighed. "I'm not mad. Annoyed maybe? Embarrassed?"

Nodding her head, Callie flopped her hand into Arizona's lap, smiling when the smaller woman laced their fingers. "I know. But just remember Arizona, we're all your friends. And they were just worried. But... as smart as we all are, we surgeons can be pretty dumb sometimes." That earned a little laugh and a nod. "Also, boundaries? Yeah, we have none." She threw her free hand behind her head, slouching down on the couch. "So we're just overbearing, in your face all the time people. Though some of the things Teddy and Owen said were kinda dumb, so I get why you're frustrated. Do you want me to talk to them?" She rolled her head to the side to look at the blonde.

"No…" Arizona sighed and shook her head. She really just wanted it to blow over. She was ashamed of herself for losing her cool and snapping at her friends. While some of the things they'd said had been rather clueless, she knew deep down that they were just worried. "I mean I'm still irritated but I'll get over it."

Callie nodded again. She understood that sometimes you just needed to be allowed to be upset. "You'll tell me if you want me to do something?" She smiled when the blonde nodded. "Alright." She stood and offered Arizona a hand up. "Need a hand getting changed?"

"Uh…" Arizona looked down at the arm that she was still holding protectively near her body. "Yeah actually."

The brunette smiled lovingly. She knew how hard it was for Arizona to admit to needing help and she had to admit that she was a little proud of her for accepting the offer. "Mark has Sofia for the night so when we get off, I am taking you home and cooking you dinner and we are watching _Beaches_." She gently guided Arizona's injured arm through the shirt and helped her into the scrub top.

"You know I love a young Barbara Hershey. " Arizona stood still while Callie lowered the sling around her neck. She watched the brunette take the cold pack and activate it before sticking it in the crook of the sling wrapped in a towel. Callie then gently guided her arm in and fastened the straps around her ribs to keep her arm immobile.

Callie laughed. "I know. I prefer blondes myself though…well one blonde in particular." She pecked the pale nose lightly." You're lucky you're right handed.

"I know." Arizona's free hand went to the waistband of her jeans.

Having helped the blonde undress in this same room several days earlier when her scrubs had been covered in a patient's blood, Callie knew exactly what to do to make the process seamless and within a minute Arizona was fully dressed.

"Thank you Callie."

"Of course." She quickly changed into her own scrubs and took Arizona's hand, leading her to the elevator. When they got in the car, Callie checked her phone. "I'm need to go do a consult, but want to grab lunch in a few hours? We can just eat in your office if you want?"

The door slid open on the peds floor and Arizona stuck her hand out to hold the door as they finished their conversation, a cute smile on her face. "Yeah. I'd like that."

* * *

By the time Karev arrived on the ward, Arizona had already discharged Dylan, her tonsillectomy patient from yesterday, rescheduled her surgeries for the day, and was now sifting through charts at the nurses' station. The junior surgeon cringed when he realized his mentor's arm was in a sling. "How bad did she get you?" He had heard the loud _crack_ that echoed through the park after the softball had struck her arm.

Arizona jumped a little when he spoke, she'd been so focused on what she was doing that she hadn't heard the other doctor's approach. Relaxing, she turned to face her student. "Just a bad bruise." Despite her current frustrations with most of the other surgeons in the hospital, she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed at Karev. Because unlike almost everyone else, he hadn't crowded her at home plate after she'd been hit.

"So does that mean I get to do your surgeries today?"

She snorted. "You wish!" Leave it to Alex Karev to cheer her up.

"Yeah." He said almost wistfully. "I do. So what do we have?"

Arizona pointed to one of the stacks of charts that she'd made. "First order of business, get an army of interns or younger residents and I need labs on these kids."

"These are all the cancer kids?" Alex quickly peaked through the stack.

"These are the kids _with_ cancer." She automatically corrected. "Yes. I also need you to swing by the NICU and check on the Peterson and Borch babies. And then sign all your fricken' charts Karev." She gestured to the second and third piles.

He chuckled, documentation was his least favorite part of being a doctor and it was something the blonde always called him out on. "Okay okay. What's this pile for then?" He pointed to the fourth stack of charts that rested on the counter.

Arizona blushed slightly. "All of the charts I have to sign." Her pile was markedly taller than Karev's.

The tall man just laughed again, having caught his boss in her own trap. He picked up the charts for the patients who needed labs. "Good thing Altman didn't break your writing hand."

The peds surgeon rolled her eyes and waved him off before turning back to the desk and taking the top chart off the stack. She made her way through the first few until what remained was a more manageable stack that she could pick up and carry to her office. Just before she reached her office doorway, she heard someone calling her name and spun around, all the charts toppling from her grasp.

* * *

**Part b picks up right from this point and should be up later today I hope. So who called out to Arizona? Do you like how sweet she and Callie are being? When should they have the Sofia talk? Are you ready for tonight? *bites nails***

**Please let me know what you think!**


	62. Part VIII: Ch 10b

**Gah, I have to be in class in like 10 minutes so I apologize if this isn't the best edited chapter in the history of this story. Here's the second half of chapter VIII:10. Just something cute to take our minds off tonight.**

* * *

_Just before she reached her office doorway, she heard someone calling her name and spun around, all the charts toppling from her grasp._

Abbie looked up from where she sat in her wheelchair in the middle of the hall. "Ah crap! Sorry!"

"No no. Abbie it's fine." Arizona restacked the charts and struggled and failed to pick them up. She straightened up with a frustrated huff, putting her free hand on her hip before taking a good look at her patient, a smile spreading on her face. "Look at you! How's it feel to be out of bed?"

The little brunette giggled. "Awesome." She paused, her curious grey eyes studying the doctor closely. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh…ah…" Arizona looked down at the sling. "I got hit with a softball." She bent over and picked up a handful of charts, walking them into her office and setting them on her desk before going back into the hall to pick up the rest of them.

"You still play sports?" There was an excited and curious edge to her voice.

"Not really. The surgeons here are playing a game against another hospital and we had practice. I didn't do very well." She leaned against her doorjamb looking down at her patient.

"Oh…" Abbie's face fell, her voice full of disappointment.

Arizona's brow furrowed. What was wrong? She studied the little girl who sat before her. It took a moment for it to register but then it clicked. Arizona noticed Abbie's remaining leg, long and lean, resting on the foot rest of the wheelchair and remembered back to the muscular leg that she'd held while Callie amputated. The girl was an athlete and with Arizona's less than positive report about playing sports on a prosthetic leg she had been dealt another dish of disappointment. "What sports did you play Abbie?" She asked softly, walking into her office and gesturing for the girl to follow. Arizona sat behind her desk while the little girl parked her wheelchair in front.

"I did track and field and I really wanted to do it in high school." She mumbled, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Hey." Arizona moved the stack of charts so that she could actually _see _her patient. "I'm not going to tell you it'll be easy, but with enough practice you can still do that Abbie. It may take a special leg but with time I bet you you can do it. It is different for everybody okay? And just because I can't do something doesn't mean that you won't be able to. I know I walk well and everything, but really Abbie, I lost my leg last December. It hasn't even been a year yet and I haven't really _tried_ to do anything terribly athletic. I'm in my thirties, I'm a surgeon. My priority is being able to stand in an OR and operate, that's what I need my prosthetic for. But you're a teenager Sweetheart. You _should_ have different priorities than me. Different expectations for your prosthetic leg." She paused and made sure the young girl was looking at her. "You may have to figure out to do things in a different way Abbie, but I truly believe that you can do anything you set your mind to. And that includes track and field."

The teenager used her fist to wipe tears from her eyes as she gave Arizona a tentative smile. "You really think so?"

Arizona laughed happily. "Yes. Yes Abbie I do. Now how bout you tell me about your first PT session?"

* * *

Arizona listened to Abbie talk about physical therapy for about half an hour, interjecting advice and encouragement as well as tips and tricks for balancing on a prosthetic limb. When they were done talking and had said their goodbyes, Abbie turned her wheelchair to exit the room, her eyes landing on Arizona's overflowing bookcase. "Woah."

Arizona laughed at her wide eyed expression, standing up so that she could lean against the edge of her desk. "Yeah, I just keep them around so I seem smart." She chuckled again at her little joke.

Abbie laughed too, her eyes drawn to a gigantic blue book resting on the lower shelves. "Did you write this!" She pointed to Robbins' Pathology. The huge textbook looked like it weighed tons!

The blonde just continued to laugh, shaking her head. "No. That's the pathology book I used in medical school. It's fantastic. My friends always teased me about writing it though. But nope. Different Dr. Robbins."

"That's funny." Abbie grinned up at her before starting to turn her chair. "Well I think my mom is here with lunch now. So I'll…"

"Hey Arizona, they didn't have those little cookies you like so I got you a brownie instead." Callie walked headlong into the office, her arms piled high with takeout containers from the cafeteria. "I hope that's…" She skidded to a stop before she could crash into Abbie's wheelchair, the top baggie containing the aforementioned brownie falling off her stack of containers.

Arizona leaned forward, catching the falling treat with her freehand before tossing it on her desk.

"Oh hey Abbie." Callie hadn't seen her young patient in several days and was pleased to see that the little girl was looking much healthier. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

Abbie just giggled again, her gaze going between the two surgeons. "That's okay Dr. Torres. Enjoy your lunch." She gave them both a little wave before placing her hands on the wheels of her chair and maneuvering through the doorway.

Callie watched her go down the hall back to her room before shutting the door. "She's looking a lot better." The Latina set the rest of their lunch on Arizona's desk before plopping down on the couch.

"Yeah." Arizona smiled, sitting beside her. "She is. She had her first PT session today with David and we talked about her still being able to do track and field."

"You're amazing." Callie's arm was thrown around the petite woman's shoulders, pulling her close. "She's lucky you're her doctor." She pressed a kiss into blonde hair.

"She's a good kid. I don't want her to think her life is over just because she lost a leg. Although I really don't think that I would have been a really good role model until the past few weeks or so."

"You have been happier lately." Callie agreed.

"Well I've been dating you." She just smiled before sitting up. "What'd you bring for lunch?"

Callie groaned as she leaned forward, pulling the boxes off the desk. "Pizza."

"But of course." Arizona chuckled, flipping her box open and taking out her cheesy slice.

"How's your arm?" Callie nodded to the sling before mimicking Arizona's action and chomping down on her own pizza.

Arizona swallowed her bite and rested back against the arm rest of the couch. "It's good. I need another ice pack soon. How are your arms? I heard its hip day down in the ER."

"Oh God." Callie rolled her eyes. "I have been reducing dislocated joints all morning. My arms are jello."

The blonde laughed, thinking back to the last time Callie had complained like that. It had been almost a year and a half ago. Before the children debate. Before the shooter. Before Africa. Before the plane crash…

"_Calliope." Arizona sing-songed as she flopped down on the bed, bouncing the other woman who was laying prone on the bed._

"_What?" Callie just groaned, her face pressed into the pillow. _

"_Are you going to get up for dinner?" The blonde lay on her side, propping her head up on her hand._

"_No. Can't move. Arms are jello." Callie continued to mumble into the pillow. She'd had a long day. With two dislocated hips, a dislocated shoulder, and a knee replacement she was wondering how any of the other doctors managed to go to the gym after work. And on that note, how did Arizona still have so much energy? The blonde had just come off a 16 hour shift!_

_A mischievous grin spread on Arizona's face, her dimples popping and her eyes twinkling. "I think I can fix that." She pushed herself up and swung her leg over Callie, straddling the brunette's waist and sitting lightly on her butt. Leaning forward she slid her hands up Callie's back, going underneath her shirt and unhooking her bra on the way up before her hands stopped at Callie's muscular shoulders and started to knead the tender flesh…_

Arizona shook her head, propelling herself back out of that memory before seeing the dreamy grin on Callie's face and realizing that her girlfriend had likely been thinking the same thing.

* * *

Arizona walked into the ER after having been paged for a consult. Making her way through the crowded department she prayed that she wouldn't need to do any procedures. If some medical interventions needed to be done, then they should have paged Alex. Throwing back the curtain to room 4 she walked in and realized that she'd been paged to the ER by the resident cardio god.

Teddy looked up, her face falling when she saw Arizona's arm in a sling. She'd felt guilty all day and had really hoped that her friend hadn't been hurt too badly.

Arizona gave her a weak smile before introducing herself. Once she'd shaken hands with worried parents, she heard Teddy start to fill her in.

"Dr. Robbins, this is Sam Tyson. He is four years old and he's come to see us today because he passed out on the playground."

"I was trying to do the monkey bars." He told her in a small voice. "I broked my arm."

"I can see that." Arizona pointed to his splinted arm and smiled comfortingly at the small boy. "I got a boo-boo too." She pointed to her sling."

"Ouch." He replied, his nose scrunching up adorably.

"Yeah. Ouch." Arizona agreed before looking back up at Teddy and the parents. She felt a little guilty for mentioning her arm when she saw Teddy get even more upset. They would have to talk later. "So, the syncopal episode?" Syncope usually resulted in a page to cardio or neuro and since Teddy was here she was curious about the boy's past medical history.

"He was a little tachy when they brought him in so I have him on the monitor. I haven't seen anything yet. But he does have a history of ASD repair at 4 weeks."

Arizona nodded and pulled her stethoscope off her neck, putting it in her ears and leaning forward. "I'm just going to listen Sam." She slipped the diaphragm under his thin hospital gown, shutting her eyes so she could concentrate on the noise coming from his chest. When she'd heard all she needed, she straightened up and removed her stethoscope, tossing it over her shoulder. "I'm not hearing any rubs or gallops. Maybe a stills murmur…but…." She shrugged.

"Yeah." Teddy nodded. "I heard it too. And it's in his old charts."

"Does he have any history of passing out?" Arizona looked at the parents.

The dad cleared his throat, "A couple times before. We've followed up with neurology in the past but this is the first time we've seen a cardiologist after Sam's had an episode. Is here something wrong with his…Sam?" His voice raised in alarm when he saw his son's eyelids start to flutter.

"I don't feel so good." Sam said weakly.

While Teddy's hand immediately flew to the boy's carotid pulse, Arizona looked at the heart monitor. "Dr. Altman." She caught Teddy's attention and pointed to rapidly accelerating wave form. "He's in SVT."

Teddy nodded and felt the pulse under her fingers match up with the 190 beats per minute displayed on the monitor.

"Hey Sam?" Arizona placed her hand on his, picking it up. "This is really silly but I need you to put your thumb in your mouth." She balled his little hand up into a fist and helped him bring it up to his face. "Now close your lips around it and blow really really hard. Like you're blowing out all the birthday candles."

She waited a second until he complied and all the adults watched as the boy puffed up his cheeks, his face going red with the effort. After another few seconds of anxiously watching the cardiac monitor, Arizona visibly relaxed when she saw the rate start to drop. "Okay, you can stop blowing buddy. Just breathe." She rubbed his chest as she watched the monitor steadily make its way back down to 105 beats per minute. "Much better! How are you feeling Sam?"

He looked up at her, still breathing heavily but noticeably less pale than he had been when the attack started. "Better."

"Good." She smiled, first at him, then at Teddy and the parents. "He has Supraventricular Tachycardia or SVT. All that means is that his heart can periodically speed up to a very high rate which is what caused him to pass out. It's common to see this in kids who have had heart surgery like he did as a baby. We manage it with meds and he is going to be just fine. I do want to keep him overnight for observation though."

Both parents nodded, looking completely relieved. "Thank you so much."

"Of course." Arizona smiled widely. "I'll get an resident to work him up for admission and both Dr. Altman and I will be by to see him tonight." She shook their hands and waved goodbye to her little patient before stepping out of the curtained room. Before she had even made it two steps from the room she felt someone's presence beside her and turned around.

Teddy was looking at her friend, her hands in her pockets, her lip caught nervously between her teeth. "Arizona I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you and I certainly didn't mean to embarrass you."

Arizona gave her a soft smile. After her relaxing lunch with Callie, she had found it hard to hold onto her frustrations. "It's fine Teddy. It was an accident."

The taller blonde nodded her head. "I still feel so bad. How bad is it? You're in a sling. Did I break your arm?"

"No, no." Arizona chuckled lightly, putting her hand on the small of the cardio surgeon's back, leading her away from their patients room, towards a more private area of the ER. "Callie just wanted it immobilized for a day. I'm going to be fine."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure." Arizona nodded, squeezing Teddy's hand.

"Is there anything I can do? Is there anything you need help with?" Even though Arizona no longer seemed mad about the accidental pummeling with a softball, Teddy still felt awful.

Arizona could see how bad the other blonde felt. And she knew that snapping at her earlier hadn't helped. "Teddy, I'm good. Don't worry okay. How 'bout this? You can make it up to me by buying me coffee. Deal?" She smiled widely, hoping for one in return.

Arizona got her wish as Teddy gave a small laugh, relief evident on her face. "Deal."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it. PS Robbins Pathology is the bible of pathology in medical school. It is amazing.**

**I hope you enjoyed this. I gotta get to class.**

**Please let me know what you think!**


	63. Part VIII: Ch 11

**This chapter didn't initially exist in my mind but after Thursday's premiere I think we need it.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. And thanks to CoralinaPlantain and eelahnie for being wonderful sounding boards.**

**Also thanks to everyone who has been recommending me on twitter. You guys are fricken' awesome!**

**Disclaimer: nothing is mine. I'm just a broke medical student. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Light streaming in through the windows and the incessant chirping of the birds that had started to migrate for the winter woke Callie up early the next morning. With a groan, she rolled over, the back of her hand coming to rest against cool sheets. Fingers flexed against the strangely cold silk for a moment before she realized why the sensation felt so odd. Callie sat up, brushing dark curly hair out of her eyes as she looked around the softly lit room. _'Where is Arizona?'_ She swung her legs out of bed and walked to the bathroom. When it was empty, she turned again to face the bed. Arizona's prosthetic was still laying on the floor beneath the edge of the bed and her sling was on the night stand where she had discarded it the night before after Callie had given her the all clear. What _was_ missing from the blonde's usual bedside set up were her crutches.

Confused, Callie softly padded her way out to the living room and felt her heart melt when she found her missing girlfriend. There, on the couch, curled up under a pink fuzzy blanket that belonged to Sofia was Arizona. Her hair, which was still in messy pigtails, and the content little smile on her face made her look just like a little girl. Callie was happy to watch her for a few seconds before she started to wonder exactly why Arizona was sleeping on the couch and not in the bed where she belonged. But, despite wanting to know why, Callie couldn't bring herself to rouse the sleeping woman so she walked into the kitchen, taking care to be quiet as she started making breakfast.

A little while later, as the coffee started to brew, Callie heard rustling coming from behind her and turned around to see Arizona sitting up on the couch, running a hand over her face. Turning down the heat on the skillet, she walked over and sat beside the sleepy woman. "Morning beautiful." Callie placed a light peck on Arizona's cheek before the blonde had even fully opened her eyes.

Arizona's pink lips turned up in a happy grin and she let out a contented sigh, opening her eyes to look at her girlfriend. "Hi."

"Hi." Callie caressed her cheek before reaching for her arm. "How's it feeling?" She lifted the muscular arm to examine it and noticed a dark bruise just above Arizona's elbow. "Ouch."

"It looks worse than it feels." Arizona moved her arm around, working out the stiffness. "I think you were right, a day's rest was all it needed."

Callie smiled before standing back up. "Good. I'm glad." She paused and put her hands on her hips for a second to look stern, "Also, why are you sleeping out here?"

"Oh." Arizona blushed. "I um…" She took the hand that Callie offered and pulled herself upright, reaching for her crutches before pausing and looking down as the brunette did the same.

What Arizona hadn't yet told Callie was that ever since the day before, when they'd had lunch in her office and she daydreamed about the very, very hot massage she'd given Callie before they'd broken up all she could think about while they were in bed was the brunette in varying stages of undress. As the woman in question had snored softly beside her, all of that pent up sexual tension had resulted in a very vivid sex dream for the blonde. When Arizona had awakened from this dream in the middle of the night, it was all she could do to not attack Callie right then and there.

This familiar, yet simultaneously foreign desire had terrified the blonde who had quickly rolled out of bed and grabbed her crutches, retreating to the safety of the couch for the rest of the night. Apparently though, she had acted out some part of her dream…

Arizona was fairly certain she had gone to bed fully clothed, taking great care as usual to shield her ugly residual limb from her beautiful girlfriend's eyes. But now, as she stood in Callie's living room she realized that her pajama bottoms hadn't quite made the trip from the bed to the couch. "Oh God." Her face heated up in a horrified blush as she shook her arm out of Callie's light grasp, falling back ungracefully onto the couch before scrambling for the blanket and tossing it over her lap. A little voice in the back of her head told her that she was being ridiculous. That Callie loved her the way she was. And she even knew that Callie had seen her stump before, had massaged it the on-call room the day she had learned that Arizona had lost her leg. But the insecurity and embarrassment and shame that still existed in the blonde had stomped out that voice of reason and Arizona soon felt tears burning in her eyes as she berated herself for exposing Callie to her maimed figure.

Alarmed by Arizona's sudden shut down, Callie dropped to her knees in front of her, taking pale hands in her own. "Arizona, hey. Hey look at me okay? What's the matter sweetheart?" She released one hand to wipe away the tears that had spilled onto the blonde's cheeks. In all actuality, Callie didn't need to ask. She knew why her girlfriend was so upset, and it broke her heart. Why couldn't Arizona see that he was beautiful, with two legs or with one? Callie maintained her grip on Arizona's dainty hand and used her free hand to gently remove the blanket from the blonde's lap. She heard Arizona gasp and felt her immediately start to reach for the pink cloth before Callie stopped her, holding her back. "Don't. Don't hide Arizona. Please let me just see you." She released Arizona's other hand and swung her legs out from under her so that she could sit cross-legged on the floor in front of her girlfriend. Reaching out a curled finger, she slid the back of her nail gently down Arizona's shin before looking up at the other woman.

Blue eyes looked timidly at the woman seated before her. She saw no disgust. No hate or repulsion. The only thing she saw in Callie's eyes was love and adoration. "I just feel so ugly Callie. And I know I'm being stupid. Because I know you love me. And you're not this shallow person who only cares about looks. I know that. Please believe me that I know that. None of my insecurities come from you. You've been wonderful."

Callie nodded understandingly, knowing that she just needed to let the blonde get it all out.

"Does it make sense that I can like myself…that I finally like myself again without liking my body?" She saw Callie nod again and she continued. "God. I hate my leg…I hate not having my leg." She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling to keep tears back, dropping her hand to her thigh and digging her nails into her residual limb.

"Sweetheart, sweetheart stop." Callie pushed herself back to her knees and picked up Arizona's hand, letting the back of her own hand now rest against the rounded end of the blonde's left leg.

Arizona gasped at the shock that came with the contact and looked down at their hands, intertwined, resting on her imperfection. An internal battle raged in Arizona's head. She knew that this was a time for change. She wanted this. She really did. Could she somehow push past all her self-loathing? After a few seconds her eyes finally tracked up to Callie's. "H-help me Callie. Please." Her eyes flitted around nervously as she tightened her grasp on the brunette's hand.

Callie leaned in further, her free hand taking Arizona's other. "Anything Arizona. Just tell me what you need help with." She felt her heart breaking and she felt the pain radiating off her girlfriend. Callie knew that she would do whatever it was that Arizona needed.

"Help me love myself."

Callie didn't think that she could smile wider if she tried. When she met Arizona's eyes, her heart just soared as a smile started to spread on the blonde's face as well. "That's all I've wanted to do." Callie stood and pulled Arizona up as well, gathering her in her arms and peppering her face and hair with kisses. "You have no idea what you do to me Arizona. God, ever since I told you I loved you in the rehab gym after my accident you have been permanently in my head. The fantasies, they just don't stop!"

Arizona blushed and gave her a little smile. "I had a dream last night too…" She initiated the kiss this time, capturing Callie's lips with her own. It was soft and sweet and left both women smiling. "I think that's how I lost my pants."

Callie couldn't help but laugh before pressing her lips hard to the blonde's. One hand remained around Arizona's waist to keep her upright while the other found its way underneath her shirt, sliding up her rib cage, exploring the soft skin that was available. Callie ended the kiss and rested her forehead against Arizona's. "You are so beautiful. So, so beautiful."

"Thank you Callie." She was content to just stand there forever, staring at the woman she loved. But something else quickly caught her attention. She paused for a second, blinking her eyes and sniffing. "Um…I think your breakfast is burning…" She pointed to the stove behind the brunette.

Maintaining her grip on Arizona's waist, Callie turned her head just as the smoke alarm went off. "Oh shit." She quickly grabbed the blonde's crutches, handing them to her so she could stabilize herself before dashing around the kitchen island. With a towel, she grabbed the skillet, now full of burning French toast, and tossed it in the sink, flipping on the water to douse the bread that now resembled a charcoal brick. As the alarm continued to blare, she grabbed a stool and climbed onto it, taking the towel and waving it in front of the smoke detector until it stopped its incessant beeping. When it was quiet, she turned back to the living room, smiling yet again as she looked at Arizona.

The blonde was holding onto her crutches and was doubled over in laughter. Callie hopped off the stool and walked back over to her. "So much for a romantic breakfast huh?" She ran her hand through her hair, waiting as Arizona straightened back up, placing her crutches under her arms.

"Cereal can be romantic." Arizona said with a smile, her laugh finally tapering out.

This time it was Callie's turn to laugh. "It'll have to be. Come on." She led the blonde back into the kitchen, helping her onto a stool. Pulling out two bowls, she poured out two servings of cheerios and grabbed a banana and a container of strawberries from the fridge. Quickly dicing the fruit, she tossed it on the dry cereal and finished it off with milk before placing the bowls at their seats. "Coffee?"

"Always." Arizona smiled as she fished a strawberry out of her bowl with her fingers, putting it in her mouth and sucking the juice off her thumb.

The brunette chuckled and poured out two mugs before joining Arizona at the counter. "Use your spoon ya goof." She nudged the silver instrument to the pediatric surgeon who was now attempting to fish out a banana slice. "Sofia may be too young right now but we gotta set a good example for her."

Arizona giggled. "Your daughter isn't even here Callie and I do seem to recall Mark saying that he had her tonight too."

Grinning, Callie nodded as she remembered that fact. She mimicked Arizona's actions and plucked a strawberry out of her own bowl. "You are very right. This could be a lot of fun you know."

The blonde blushed as she realized what her girlfriend was implying. "Oh yeah?" She raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on her face as Callie leaned in closer.

Callie propped her head up on her hand and took a bite of her cereal before putting her spoon back in her bowl. "Oh yeah." She reached out and lightly ran her hand down Arizona's bare thigh, stopping at her knee before dragging her hand back up. She smiled as she felt goose bumps pop up under her fingers. Her eyes tracked up to the blonde's and she could see just how dark the blue eyes had gotten. "We could have a lot of fun." She paused, and heard Arizona swallow audibly. "Arizona?"

"Yeah?" She stared down at Callie's hand, watching it trail up and down her thigh before she looked up at her girlfriend who was sporting a loving smile.

"Arizona, is tonight our night?"

At warp speed, hundreds of thoughts ran through Arizona's head and this time, the voice of reason won out. Arizona smiled brightly back at Callie, trapping her hand with her own. "Tonight's our night."

* * *

**Well, we're working on the body image issues now.**

**Please tell me what you think. Did you like it?**

**Updated to add: Follow me on Twitter The_Time_Warp for fic updates/hints and sneak-peeks and random-ass ramblings of a medical student.**


	64. Part IX: Ch 1

**Sorry for disappearing again. This week was completely insane. But! Next week I have no exams or assignments due (other than catch up on everything that has been neglected but that includes this fic. So don't you worry!)**

**Here's the new chapter. More to follow soon!**

* * *

After paying for his food, Mark made his way through the crowded cafeteria, joining Callie at the table she occupied by the window. When he set his tray down with a loud _thump_ he startled the brunette who had obviously been off in her own little world. With a deep throaty chuckle, the plastic surgeon nudged his best friend's shoulder when he saw the dreamy look on her face. "I know that look. You're thinking about Blondie. Did you and Robbins have morning sex?"

It's true. Callie had been fantasizing about the blonde. Ever since their rather romantic cereal breakfast that morning, she couldn't get Arizona out of her head. The idea that tonight could be their night…the night where they finally physically reconnected after all of the horrible stuff that had happened in the past year had her floating on cloud nine all day. "That's none of your business Mark." Callie couldn't help but continue to smile though. "Besides we've only been dating for two weeks."

"Lexie and I have been dating for two days." He countered with another teasing grin.

"Mark." She said warningly as she picked up her fork and started to dig back into her salad that had been neglected during her daydreaming session.

The man threw his hands up in front of himself to placate the fiery brunette. "Okay. Dropping it. But on the topic of our women. Lexie is in surgery, but where is Robbins?" He grabbed a fry and drowned it in ketchup.

"Surgery as well. Isn't Lexie on her service today?"

"Mm-mmm." He shook his head, swallowing the fry. "No. She's with Teddy. They're in OR 2 with that trauma that came in three hours ago."

Reaching over, she stole a few of the salty potato wedges off his plate. "They must have needed a general surgeon then because she was helping me with an open book pelvic fracture around ten when Lex came in and said they needed her." She nibbled on her stolen food before eyeing him suspiciously. "Why? Why do _you_ want to know where Arizona is?"

"Oh, well." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table before speaking softly. "We, Lex and I, had an idea about the softball game."

Callie groaned, dropping her head into her hand as she stabbed again at her soggy salad. "Mark…that didn't go well for her. She was pretty unhappy. Plus she got hurt." Callie remembered Arizona's frustrations with her new limitations. "And it's not fair because she really really wanted to play. It just sucks that…"

"She can still play!" Mark cut her off with a smile on his face.

"Wait what?" Callie's head shot up as her friend offered her a little piece of hope.

He nodded, still grinning. "It was Lexie's idea really. First base." He shrugged like it was the simplest solution in the world. While Callie just stared at him, he chanced a look towards the entrance of the cafeteria. It seemed as if the junior surgeon's name were a beacon, because spotted his girlfriend walking into the cafeteria, tightening her ponytail. His smile widening further, he waved her over.

With very little sports knowledge, Callie was still confused. She looked between Mark and the approaching brunette. "What?"

"I'll let her explain." Mark nodded and kissed Lexie's cheek as she sat beside him.

"Explain what?" The young resident picked up a fry off her boyfriend's plate and popped it in her mouth.

"How Robbins can play if she plays first base."

"Oh. Yeah." Lexie swallowed the fry and leaned forward past Mark to talk to Callie. "Arizona was a catcher. She can't squat with her prosthetic leg but she can still catch and throw if she's on a level surface. We were talking about it in the OR today. She said the outfield was too uneven and she tripped while throwing the ball back."

Callie nodded, remembering how she had caught the faltering blonde. "So how does first base work?"

"Well, I didn't say anything to her because I thought you'd want to tell her, but first base is also a catching heavy position. It's in the infield so the dirt is level and the second baseman covers most of the line so there's hardly any running. I mean…I don't know how it is to play with a prosthetic leg. I'm sure it's horrible…" Mark and Callie both frowned as they contemplated the truth of Lexie's statement. "But if Dr. Robbins wants to do it, I think she can. If you think she's interested, Mark and I can take her out to the field tomorrow night and do drills. Get her more comfortable with playing on her prosthetic."

A smile spread on Callie's face as she nodded. "Yes. Lexie Grey you are brilliant!"

The smaller brunette blushed. "Do you think she'll go for that?"

"I think so." Callie pushed herself out of her chair and gathered her trash. "I'll talk to her and let you know. Where is she by the way? If you're here your operation must be done."

"Oh, I have no idea." Lexie shrugged, sneakily taking the pudding cup off Mark's tray. "I got paged out before they finished. I've been doing sutures in the pit for the last hour and a half." She opened the pudding cup and licked the foil lid.

Realizing that his dessert was gone, Mark turned to look at her. "Hey!"

She just grinned sweetly as Callie's phone began to buzz on her hip.

"I'll see what Arizona says about the softball thing and then I'll let you guys know tonight." As Mark dipped his finger into the stolen pudding, Callie shifted her tray into her other hand and checked the buzzing device. "Okay seriously?" She spoke again, "I just got a text from the daycare. It was my turn to bring snack. Sofia is three months old! She doesn't eat snack."

"Mmmhm." Mark swallowed and nodded. "It's dumb. But it _was_ on the calendar Cal." He tried to take more pudding from his girlfriend who kept pulling the cup further and further away.

"Goldfish are easy." Lexie offered helpfully as she finally relented and set the pudding between them.

Callie sighed. "I guess I'm getting goldfish then."

* * *

Unzipping her jacket, Callie stepped back into the hospital, cradling an economy sized box of goldfish in one arm as she made her way to the daycare. It still annoyed her that all the parents were put into snack rotation even when the youngest members of daycare weren't old enough to eat solids. She sighed and made a little mental check. _'Whatever. I'm a surgeon. It's not like I can't afford it.'_ She felt a little less perturbed when she thought like that and realized that not all of the kids in daycare had parents that were rather well-off physicians. She tapped on the door of the daycare and stepped inside, greeting the middle-aged woman who was in charge. "Hey Jessica. I'm sorry this is late. I forgot that we had snack." She handed gigantic box of goldfish to the woman.

"Oh. Dr. Torres, we already have snack. Dr. Robbins said you asked her to bring it for you." She gestured to the blond doctor who was sitting in one of the rocking chairs. "She brought strawberries just a few minutes ago."

Callie's eyebrows shot up. How had Arizona known? She felt her heart melt when she realized that Sofia was cradled in Arizona's arms. Feeling Jessica's eyes still on her, she looked back at the petite woman. "I totally forgot. Long day. Sorry. Just go ahead and keep them in case someone else forgets snack."

Jessica smiled. "Thank you Dr. Torres." She walked back over to the supply cabinet to store the food while Callie quietly made her way through the daycare to her girlfriend and daughter.

"Hey you." The brunette whispered gently as she rubbed Arizona's shoulder. When Arizona looked up, that's when Callie noticed her red rimmed eyes. Knitting her brow in concern, Callie quickly pulled up a toy chest and sat on top of it, resting her hand on Arizona's knee. "What's the matter?" She reached out her other hand and stroked Sofia's soft black hair.

"Our patient died." She whispered so that she didn't disturb the sleeping baby. "He was two. He had been hit by a car. The damage was catastrophic Callie and we did everything we could."

"Oh." Callie frowned and massaged the flesh and blood knee that rested under her hand. "Arizona, I know you did your best. And that's more than anyone else could have done. You're one of the best pediatric surgeons in the country. If you couldn't do it…well…"

Arizona shook her head, giving Callie a sad smile. "It wasn't that…I mean it was…I don't like losing a patient, but I mean I knew when they paged me that it was bad. It's afterwards when Teddy and I went to talk to the parents. They accused us of not trying. Of killing their son. And I know…I know they were upset…_devastated _and were lashing out, but my confidence these days…I just needed to hold her. I really hope you don't mind."

"Arizona no. No of course I don't mind." She smiled. "I love the way you are with her."

"She is so special Calliope. And you are a wonderful mother. And I just…" She swallowed. "I wish I hadn't been so resistant to having kids with you." Every time Arizona held Sofia, she wished more and more that the little girl was her own. This is how it should have been from the start. Arizona wanted it. She'd even told her father that she loved Sofia like her own daughter. But because she had been so stubborn, so unwilling to bend at the beginning, she felt like she'd lost that chance. "I messed up Callie. Because I realize now that I really want this. I want the house and kids and the dog. I want all of it with you. I want us to be a family."

Callie felt her heart skip as hundreds of emotions coursed through her body. She shouldn't have been surprised. She knew this talk would come eventually. She just hadn't expected Arizona to be the initiator. And she certainly hadn't expected it to come so soon. As she had told Mark, they had only been dating for two weeks. But beyond those two weeks they had years of history. In some regards they already were a family. But Sofia was not Arizona's daughter. She was Mark's daughter. And Callie didn't know how that dynamic could ever work. She wanted it to work. She would love for it to work. But would it work? Arizona being Sofia's mom? It would be amazing. She nervously bit her lip as she studied the blonde closely. Even though Arizona was clearly waiting for Callie to comment on her confession, all of the blonde's attention was directed towards the infant in her arms. There was a small smile on her face as she used her thumb to gently caress Sofia's tan cheek.

That smile took on a sad edge as she looked up and saw the brunette's obviously unsure expression. Arizona had flip-flopped on the issue of kids before and she had a terrible habit of running away when things got tough. She fully expected Callie to be wary of her commitment especially when it came to entrusting her with something so precious as her daughter. When she saw Callie's torn look, her eyes immediately darted back down to the girl in her arms. Taking the brunette's deafening silence as a cue to end the conversation, Arizona stood, "I-I'm sorry Callie. I overstepped." Why had she said that? They'd had a good day. A great day. Tonight was supposed to be their night. She handed the sleeping baby off to her mother, "I should get going. I have surgery in a half an hour. I'll see you tonight. I love you." She dropped a kiss on the still stunned brunette's head before quickly retreating from the room. Arizona didn't know what the other woman was thinking but a certain part of her couldn't help but wonder if it was the same nagging through that was running through her own head. Maybe she just wasn't cut out to be a mom.

* * *

**I wanted to do happy after tonight's episode (with brilliant and heartbreaking acting by JCap and SaRa) but one of my other goals with this fic is realism. What would Callie's initial reaction be to Arizona laying a claim on her daughter? And how would Arizona interpret Callie's silence? So you'll recognize that last thought as what she said at the end of season 6. Don't worry. We won't stay in unhappy land too long. Especially with the state of the show. But this sets us up for more true emotions from our ladies and will make their special night truly special. **

**Please please please let me know what you think!**

**Also, please follow me on my new twitter The_Time_Warp. I like to post little hints about upcoming chapters and some almost behind the scenes stuff from posted chapters (stuff that was eluded to but never explicitly stated). So if you want to follow me, tweet me your penname so that I'm not 100% confused haha.**

**As always, thanks for reading and please review!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	65. Part IX: Ch 2

**Hey everyone, thanks for reading. I hope you are still enjoying this fic! This chapter takes place right where the last left off but since this part starts with Callie and not Arizona, I didn't copy in Arizona's last thought.**

* * *

Arizona wanted to be Sofia's mom? Callie sat stunned in the daycare, holding the still sleeping baby after the blonde's hasty exit. Part of her was screaming yes, yes Arizona could be Sofia's mom while another part of her brain warned herself to be cautious. That they had only been together two weeks. Was Arizona really ready to commit. Did she even know what it meant to commit to raising a child? And furthermore, what about the baby's father? Decisions about Sofia couldn't unanimously be made by Callie. She had to consider Mark too. With a frustrated sigh, she stood and kissed Sofia's head before gently laying the little girl back in her bassinet.

'_Why is this so complicated?'_ Callie wondered to herself as she walked out of the daycare. Arizona had been there from the beginning of Sofia's life. She had started her heart and had taken care of her in the NICU. And since Callie and Arizona had started dating, Arizona _had_ slipped into that nurturing role. Hell, she'd even remembered snack today when both of the child's parents had forgotten.

Callie continued to think as she made her way up to her floor. Arizona would play with Sofia and change her diaper. In the middle of the night if Sofia cried, sometimes it would be the blonde who got out of bed and made her way to the nursery on crutches just to sit and hold the inconsolable infant. Arizona loved Sofia. Of that Callie had no doubt. It was already evident that the two were developing a special bond. And Callie wanted Arizona in her daughter's life. She just wasn't completely sure what that role would be. To Sofia, would the blonde be "Arizona" or would she be "Mom?"

* * *

Arizona hadn't had much time to dwell on what she had told Callie when her scheduled appendectomy suddenly became emergent. But now that the surgery was over, she was able to replay what she said as she vigorously scrubbed up to her elbows. She hadn't thought before she spoke. Yes, everything she said had been true but that wasn't exactly how she had expected to broach the topic. In all honesty, she had expected Callie to be the instigator but an emotional day and a blow to her already damaged psyche had caused her to put her foot in her mouth. As she walked out of the scrub room Arizona rolled her eyes when she realized with some cynical humor that she now actually _could_ put her foot in her mouth.

And speaking of her prosthetic leg, the blonde really needed to get off of it. It wasn't phantom pain so much as generalized fatigue and achiness that came along with wearing the artificial limb for longer than was recommended. Between playing softball yesterday and her long surgery this morning with Teddy, Arizona's residual limb was throbbing painfully. She grabbed her lab coat off the hook in the hall and swung it back over her shoulders as she walked to the elevator. Jabbing the button for the lobby she ran a hand over her face before pulling off her pink scrub cap and shoving it in her pocket as she leaned back against the wall. When the doors slid open for the lobby, she stepped out, plastering a smile on her face as she walked up to the worried parents. After assuring them that their daughter would be fine she got back in the elevator and took the short ride to the peds ward before taking refuge in her office.

With the door shut the only light came her softly glowing computer monitor and Arizona took advantage of the calm to let out a heavy sigh. Leaning forward she rested her head in her hands. She thought about everything she had said. How Callie had looked so unsure when Arizona was speaking. It hurt to put herself out there like that. To be vulnerable in front of the woman and child who meant everything to her. The thing is though…She didn't want to take any of it back. Everything that she had said in the daycare had been her truest, deepest thoughts. She wanted a permanent life with Callie and Sofia.

Arizona groaned, shifting so that she could get her prosthetic off. After laying the metal limb on the ground, she swung her remaining leg up onto the couch. One hand went to her residual limb to massage the aching stump while her other arm was flung over her eyes. As she rested and relieved the tension in her body her thoughts tracked back to the mother and daughter. She knew that Callie couldn't make a decision right away. Picking who would play such a pivotal role as a parent in her daughter's life was not a decision that should be made lightly. She knew that Mark would need to be consulted and that Callie would need to think long and hard about what Arizona's role would be. And Arizona had expected that. She had. Which is why she hadn't been prepared for the heartache that she felt when Callie hadn't made the decision right away.

She hoped this wasn't the case, but she couldn't help but think that Callie maybe had doubts simply because of the fact that Arizona was _damaged_. And for once, Arizona's thoughts didn't immediately go to the physical damage of her missing extremity but rather to her damaged mind. It was true that she was still struggling with PTSD and depression. Her recurrent nightmares and the anti-depressants that she kept in her purse were an indicator of that. So maybe Callie was right to be unsure.

Arizona sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose before wiping away the tears that had involuntarily leaked out. _'Why was everything so God damn complicated!'_

* * *

After completing two standard (and boring) rotator cuff repairs, Callie's head was a little less of a mess. Yeah everything was still confusing and complicated but it wasn't the decision that made it that way. She was going to marry Arizona Robbins one day and the blonde would be a permanent fixture in Sofia's life, if she wasn't already. And just because Arizona and Sofia didn't share any DNA didn't mean that Arizona couldn't be a mom. Mothers didn't have to share blood. That "blood" connection clearly didn't mean anything to Callie's own mother who she hadn't spoken to in more than a year. Mothers had to love you. To protect you. To put you first. And Arizona had done all that and more. The night of the storm, when Callie had had her breakdown due to the horrific pictures of Arizona's injuries, Arizona had come home to two people crying. After only very briefly checking on her girlfriend, Arizona had gone straight to Sofia and had taken care of the baby when her own "blood" mother could not.

And that wasn't the first event that came to mind either. The first night that Arizona had watched Sofia, the blonde, clearly in pain, had slept with her prosthetic leg on just so that she could get to Sofia right away if there was a problem. What's more, is that Arizona was usually the one who got Sofia back to sleep in the middle of the night. It hadn't been said in so many words but Arizona already _was_ Sofia's mom.

Callie swung by the daycare out of habit and noticed that Sofia was already gone. With a quick check of her text messages, she confirmed what she had thought, that Mark had gotten off early and had taken their little girl home. She sighed again, thinking of her baby's father. Mark probably wouldn't like Callie's decision but she would have to just put her foot down and let him know that Arizona was here to stay.

Speaking of the blonde, where was she? Callie hadn't seen Arizona's name on any other surgeries after the orthopedic surgeon had left the OR floor. She either had to be in the attendings' lounge or her office…or she had gone home, but Callie didn't think that was very likely. Since Callie was desperate for a cup of coffee, she decided to try the lounge first. After pouring a cup of the now lukewarm brown liquid and cringing as she took a sip, she took a peek in Arizona's locker and noticed that the blonde's purse was still there. So office maybe? She downed the rest of the slightly burnt coffee and pitched her cup in the trash before jogging up the stairs to peds.

It was only 8pm but the ward was already dimly lit for the night and many of the younger patients were already asleep. Callie quietly crossed the floor to Arizona's office, frowning when she realized there was no light leaking out around the closed blinds. Where was she? Callie sighed, she'd already texted Arizona and gotten no response. Maybe she should just leave a note on the blonde's desk?

Fishing through her key ring, she found her copy of Arizona's office key and unlocked the door, letting herself into the dark space. As her eyes adjusted she realized that she didn't need to leave a note. Because there, on the couch was a fast asleep Arizona Robbins. The blonde doctor had an arm thrown over her face, but Callie could still see the frown on her beautiful lips. She remembered back to Arizona's sad smile in the daycare realized that Arizona must have been wrestling with doubt and insecurity ever since Callie hadn't given her an answer.

She felt awful as she gently shut the door, apprising the sleeping woman who was still visible due to the pale blue glow coming from her computer screen. Arizona looked so tiny on the couch and so so tired. Instead of waking the blonde up so that they could talk right away, Callie decided to wait until Arizona was ready to wake up herself. Quietly she walked around the desk and took a seat in the chair when the computer monitor caught her eye. Before Arica, Arizona's computer background was a picture of her and Callie. Callie had loved that picture. It had been a picture of them kissing on the bow of a ferryboat on their first date after Callie's falling out with her family. Despite the loss, she thought back fondly on that night. It had been the first night that they'd had pizza and beer in bed. She pursed her lips to suppress her laugh when she remembered that the next morning Mark had walked in on them in the shower. While Callie thought it was hilarious, Arizona had understandably been miffed and had worn this cute little pout on her lips for the rest of the day until Callie had made it up to her in the on-call room later that day.

But that picture on the ferryboat was not the picture that graced Arizona's desktop anymore. Yes, Callie's own face still smiled back at her from the screen. But instead of just Arizona, the other person in the picture was Sofia. Callie brought her finger up and gently ran it over the picture as she remembered when it was taken…

"_Say Cheese!" Arizona held up her camera, waiting for the brunette on the bed to comply. It had been about a month since the car accident and Callie and Sofia didn't have much longer of a hospital stay ahead of them so the blonde peds surgeon had deemed today to be the appropriate day to take Sofia's picture for the NICU graduate wall. _

"_Arizona, isn't it supposed to be just a picture of the baby?" Callie chuckled lightly as she shifted on the bed, crossing her legs Indian style as she rested against the pillows with the little baby in her arms._

_The blonde just chuckled and lowered the camera so she could fix the new mother with a teasing glare. "It's my graduate wall. I can put pictures of whatever I want. And I want a picture of you and Sofia together. Come on Callie. You're a graduate too!"_

"_Yeah, of the ICU!" Callie laughed again, Arizona's smile was intoxicating and those dimples made her heart melt as she watched the blonde raise the camera again. "It's not as exciting as graduating from the NICU." She tipped her head back down and looked at her sleeping child. _

"_It's plenty exciting Calliope. Now smile!" Arizona waited another second and huffed when the brunette didn't comply._

"_Did you get the picture yet?" Karev walked into the room, tucking his phone into his pocket._

"_No." Arizona looked up at her student. "Callie is being stubborn. She thinks that adults don't need to be on the NICU graduate wall."_

_Karev snorted. "Parents are in half the pictures and even some of the doctors are in them."_

"_That's what I'm saying!" Arizona looked pleased to have someone taking her side._

_Callie just laughed at Arizona's relentlessness. "Well if that's the case, how 'bout a picture with her parent and her doctor? Come on Arizona." Callie patted the bed beside her as Arizona's blonde eyebrows shot sky high._

"_What? Callie…"_

"_Oh seriously." Karev plucked the camera out of Arizona's hands and gently nudged her towards the bed. "Keep the tiny human makers happy right Dr. Robbins?"_

_Arizona rolled her eyes when her own words were thrown back in her face but then smiled when Callie gestured for her to come over again. Hoisting herself onto the bed, she put an arm around Callie's shoulders and rested her other hand on Sofia's belly. "Hi little miss."_

_Callie back down at Sofia, smiling as she watched the two of them interact until she heard Karev clear his throat._

"_Okay smile..."_

Alex hadn't waited for Callie or Arizona to look up completely and instead his picture had captured both women looking lovingly down at the little baby. The picture seemed to have never made it to the grad wall and instead was here, as Arizona's computer background. Callie had already been so touched by Arizona's earlier words and actions, but this picture brought on another flood of emotion that was overwhelming for the brunette.

A happy laugh escaped her throat before she was able to clamp a hand over her mouth and tears started to leak out of her eyes as she saw the bed-headed blonde sit up on the couch, rubbing sleepily at her face.

"Callie?" Arizona rapidly blinked away the last vestiges of sleep and when her blurry vision cleared she could make out her girlfriend illuminated by the soft glow of her computer. "How'd you get in here?"

"I have your key remember?" Callie pushed herself up from the desk and sat on the couch beside the blonde. "Hey Arizona…"

"Callie, I'm…" They both started to speak at the same time as Arizona turned her body on the couch to face the brunette.

"You go ahead." Callie laced her fingers through Arizona's, squeezing the delicate hand tightly.

"I am sorry for putting you on the spot like that in daycare. Sofia is your daughter. And she's Mark's daughter and I had no right to say what I said. I…"

"Okay maybe I should have talked first." Callie cut her off by reaching over and flipping on the lights. She saw the blonde blink rapidly, confused by the sudden assault of light and Callie took this opportunity to shift positions so that she could pull Arizona's back up against her chest. An adorable _woah_ came from the blonde's mouth as she was pulled around on the couch and Callie couldn't help but chuckle as she wrapped her arms around the petite woman, resting her chin on her shoulder. "You know the picture on your computer? We weren't even dating yet and we already looked like a family. You dote on Sofia like she is your own child. You love her and you put her before everything else. Remember when you were sick and your first concern was that Sofia would somehow get sick as a result of me taking care of you?" She felt Arizona's hair brush the side of her cheek as she nodded up and down. "Yeah. We are going to be a family Arizona. You, me, and Sofia. She is going to have two moms who love her so very very much. And as for Mark, it may take him a little while to come around but that's okay. Because remember, he named her after you. He knew then that you were going to be someone special in her life. Arizona he was so grateful that you brought strawberries to daycare when we both forgot. And he even wants to help you so that you can play softball. He may not always show it, but he has come to care about you a great deal. So we're just going to approach the idea with him slowly because you know we have to. But Arizona, we will be a family. We already are.

* * *

**Well I hope you all enjoyed that. Thanks to everyone on twitter who helped.**

**Who's still with me? Still enjoying the story? Let me know what you think?**

**Also, follow me on twitter (The_Time_Warp)-I like to give out little hints for upcoming chapters!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	66. Part IX: Ch 3

**Just some quick fun before yet another emotional Grey's episode.**

* * *

"_But Arizona, we will be a family. We already are."_

Callie felt Arizona freeze in her arms for a second before she suddenly turned around in Callie's embrace, holding onto the brunette's shoulders to keep herself balanced on her remaining knee. She looked at the surprised orthopedic surgeon. "Do you really mean that Callie?" Her eyes darted around searching Callie's face for any iota of doubt.

Callie laughed happily. "Yes Arizona. Yes. Do you have any idea what you mean to me?" She tucked a loose curl behind Arizona's ear.

Arizona's face melted into a soft smile. "Yeah. I do." She said simply, tipping her head down to capture Callie's lips with her own. She had been so full of doubt after coming back to her office earlier that day but somehow Callie's honesty and openness had wiped it away. She knew there was still a lot to work out, especially with Mark…but the idea of being a family with Callie and Sofia, the idea of becoming Sofia's mom made her ecstatic. She'd never wanted kids until she saw Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres but now she couldn't think of her life being any other way.

Their kiss slowly came to an end as Arizona nibbled on Callie's lower lip before pulling away and opening her eyes.

Callie grinned as she stared into the crystal blue orbs. They were so happy now. So full of life…The same eyes that had stared at her three years ago in Joe's bar. "You are so beautiful." She raised her hand and caressed a dimpled cheek before helping Arizona shift back to a seated position.

As Arizona bent forward to reach for her prosthetic leg she tilted her head up and smiled at her girlfriend. "Thank you Callie."

The brunette matched her smile, so happy that Arizona finally seemed to believe her. She passed her the liner before taking a look at the blonde's residual limb. "Honey…" She placed her cold hand on Arizona's stump, feeling her shiver before she relaxed into the touch.

"I think it's sore." Arizona said quietly and shut her eyes for a second. _'Callie loves you. Let her help you.'_ She opened her eyes again as she resisted the urge to pull away. "Callie? Would you mind…" She gestured to her leg.

"Of course not." They both shifted on the couch and Callie began to massage the tight muscles in Arizona's leg, taking great care to work out all the tension balled up in the residuum. She watched as the blonde relaxed back against the arm of the couch, her face taking on a relaxed look. And Callie was so happy that she could do this for her. She worked silently for a few more minutes, allowing Arizona to relax as she felt the muscles loosen. "How's that feel?"

Arizona smiled at her. "It feels good." She paused for a second before pursing her lips to suppress a smile. "You know I could give you a massage too."

"With your girly hands? Please." Callie couldn't resist teasing the other woman, especially since she gave fantastic massages. "No, seriously. Please."

The blonde laughed and nodded her head. "When we get home Calliope." She reached again for her liner and tried to roll it onto her residual limb, wincing slightly when it was still too tight.

Callie slipped her hand into Arizona's. She knew the peds surgeon was still self-conscious, but Arizona had made great strides today alone. So maybe her suggestion wouldn't be met with too much resistance. "I think…Maybe you should leave it off. Give your leg a chance to rest. You've been really active this past week."

She sighed as she pulled off the liner and reached for her scrub bottoms. "I may have overdone it."

Callie nodded sympathetically as she watched the blonde pull on her pants and roll up the pant leg. "Do you have your crutches?" She had to admit that she was surprised at Arizona's willingness to take it easy.

"Yeah, they're behind the bookshelf." She pushed herself upright and placed a stabilizing hand on her desk as Callie retrieved the metal poles. "You wouldn't mind carrying my prosthetic would you?"

"Not at all." Callie bent over and picked it up as Arizona placed her crutches under her arms. "Ready?"

"Ready." She waited until the brunette had opened the door before maneuvering out into the darkened peds ward. She heard Callie click off the lights and pull the door shut before stepping beside her. "Everyone's sleeping." She said with a smile as she and Callie made their way down the hall.

Callie chuckled softly. "I really do like the way it feels in peds. I can understand why you love it." They got a little further down the hall before a lit room caught their eyes. "Well, I guess not everyone is asleep. Do you want to say good night to Abbie before we go?"

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all." Callie knew Arizona had a special bond with the young girl and while Arizona might not have noticed, she had become so much more confident through her mentoring of the young amputee.

Arizona smiled and led her girlfriend to the room. Releasing one of the handles of her crutches, she tapped lightly on the doorframe. "Hey. Can we come in?"

Abbie's face lit up and she paused the movie that she had been watching with her mother. "Yeah." Her eyes widened as she saw her doctor swing into the room on crutches. Arizona hadn't been lying when she said her residual limb was much shorter than Abbie's

Callie followed her into the hospital room, propping Arizona's prosthetic against the wall. "We just wanted to come say good night."

"How are you feeling?" Arizona hopped closer to the bed before handing Callie her crutches. She grabbed the yellow lever at the head of Abbie's bed and lowered the gurney as she always did when she entered the room.

"I feel good." Arizona could tell that Abbie was curious about something and she assumed the young girl was wondering why she wasn't wearing her prosthetic.

She maintained her balance as she checked Abbie's surgical sites before raising the head of the bed and reaching back for her crutches. "I'm glad you feel good. I think we're going to discharge you tomorrow."

"Really?!" The girl scrambled up in the bed, looking excitedly at her doctor. From the chair on the other side of the room, Abbie's mother matched her excited look.

"Really." Arizona looked back over her shoulder at Callie for a second before looking at her patient. She swallowed before resting her hip against the bed. "Abbie, I wanted to let you know how proud Dr. Torres and I are of you. You have been so brave and it is rare that we encounter a patient with such a positive attitude as yours." She looked from her patient back to her girlfriend who was sporting a smile and nodding her head in agreement. "I want you to keep that attitude okay. Because sometimes things are going to seem awful and unbearable and you are going to be so frustrated because you only have one leg. But you just need to find the person who can help you through it. It may be your dad or your mom," She gave Abbie's mom a small smile before looking back at her patient, "Or it may be your best friend. But there will be someone who can help you. Who wants to help you."

Abbie nodded intently as she listened to what Arizona had to say.

"And you need to know that it is okay to ask for help. It took me a long time to learn that." She felt Callie's hand on her shoulder and smiled at her girlfriend's presence. "You don't need to be ashamed and I promise you that it is not a sign of weakness." She noticed that Abbie's eyes were getting wet and as she looked at the girl's mother, she realized that hers were the same. Her lips curled up into a comforting smile. "If there is anything you need you know where to find me."

Abbie nodded her head again, a tear trickling down her cheek before she bolted upright in the bed and threw her arms around her doctor.

The hug almost threw Arizona off balance but luckily Callie's arm was there to stop her as she returned Abbie's hug.

"Thank you Arizona."

* * *

The elevator ride up to the fifth floor was silent as both women stole not so subtle secret looks at their partner, their smirks growing wider and wider as they ascended each successive floor. By the time they were between the forth and the fifth floor both purses, the crutches, and Arizona's prosthetic had been dropped to the floor and Callie had the blonde pinned to the wall, hungrily attacking her lips.

Arizona rested her bottom against the hand rail to keep her balance as her hands slipped under Callie's shirt, exploring the smooth skin as she moaned into her mouth. Distracted by their frantic exploration of each other's bodies, neither woman noticed the doors open on their floor before sliding shut as the car started its descent back to the lobby.

Callie shifted her attention down from Arizona's lips and started to nip at her pulse point as Arizona threw her head back, giving Callie unrestricted access to her neck. The blonde breathed heavily as Callie continued her ministrations. "God Callie!" She moaned again, her nimble fingers releasing the clasp on the brunette's bra as her hand trailed further up her back. It had been such a long time since Arizona felt this way and she didn't want it to end any time soon. Though unfortunately for her, they had not picked a very good location for their lovemaking and the _ding_ of the elevator doors sliding open caused them to spring apart.

Arizona's hands flew to the hand rail to keep herself up right as Callie spun around in front of her, trying to smooth down her rumpled clothing. Both women found themselves blushing furiously as they looked up into the very amused face of Mark Sloan.

The tall man stepped into the elevator, a wide grin on his face and a bottle of wine in his hand. "Nice." He chuckled as Callie pulled her jacket tighter around herself when she realized that Arizona had opened her bra. "I mean I thought Lex and I were going to have a good night. You know, wine and a movie now that Sofia's asleep. But it seems you two are going to put us to shame." He selected the button for the fifth floor before turning again to grin at the two women who were looking everywhere but at him.

"You couldn't have taken the stairs Mark?" Arizona asked quietly as Callie started to pick up the items that they had dropped. The blonde was trying so hard not to laugh because this was the third time Mark Sloan had walked in on them in compromising positions. Both time had been more than a year ago. One time they were in bed and one time they were in the shower but both times, Callie had more than made it up to her later. This was going to be a very good night.

"Blondie, I'm not the one who got caught in an elevator." He smirked at her before bending over to pick up and hand her her crutches.

"Mark!" Callie chastised as she looked at her girlfriend's adorable blush.

He just laughed again as the doors slid open for a second time on floor five. "Have fun ladies." His laugh continued as he walked out and let himself into his apartment, the door clicking shut behind him.

As Callie continued to look on, mortified, Arizona just grinned and swung past her on her crutches. "Come on Calliope. You've got some making up to do."

* * *

**Not the end to their reconnection. Don't worry. But I wanted you to get some fun before tonight's heartache.**

**I posted a story "Shock" which is Callie's POV regarding ch 10-12 where she finds out about the leg.**

**Also I may need to flip this story to M after the next chapter so keep an eye out.**

**And follow me on twitter The_Time_Warp.**

**Please review!**


	67. Part IX: Ch 4

**It's short but I think you're going to enjoy this, especially after the emotionally devastating season so far.**

**I have flipped the story to M to be safe. If you read this and think T is still appropriate, please let me know. Otherwise I will let the rating stand.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_As Callie continued to look on, mortified, Arizona just grinned and swung past her on her crutches." Come on Calliope. You've got some making up to do."_

Arizona's little wink and cheeky smile was enough to launch Callie into action as she darted out of the elevator and scrambled to unlock the apartment door, fumbling through her key ring several times before she finally found the right one.

The blonde's laugh echoed through the hallway as Callie finally got the door open. She rushed inside and gently set Arizona's prosthetic down before spinning around to watch her hot _hot_ girlfriend swing through the doorway. Callie could feel her pulse racing as Arizona stopped in front of her, that cute little dimpled grin still on her face.

As for Arizona, she didn't know what had come over her, but ever since Callie had told her that they were a family…ever since remembering that Callie had seen her half naked that morning and wasn't appalled or disgusted by her residual limb, something had clicked. It was like a switch had been flipped. Arizona knew her insecurities weren't gone for good but right here…right now…with this woman, Arizona felt like the bombshell blonde that everyone used to drool over. And luckily for her, the only woman she wanted...the only woman she would ever want, was right here and was very _very _available.

Callie's eyes were dark with lust as she stepped towards the blonde, edging her towards the kitchen island. They maintained eye contact and the only sound in the whole apartment was the click of Arizona's crutches on the hardwood as she propelled herself backwards, coming to a stop when the small of her back hit the counter. With the stabilizing tile countertop against her back, she raised her arms and let the crutches fall to the sides as she threw her arms around Callie's neck, pulling the brunette in as she captured her lips, hungrily resuming what had been interrupted in the elevator.

This time it was Callie's hands that found themselves sliding under Arizona's blouse, releasing the clasp of her bra before fumbling fingers got started on the buttons of her shirt.

Arizona quickly broke their kiss, only to discard her bra and top before pressing her bare chest back against Callie, her fingers tangling in dark locks of hair. "You're wearing too many clothes." She mumbled against Callie's lips.

"We can do something about that." Callie mumbled back before grabbing Arizona's hips and hoisting her up onto the counter.

Arizona squealed in surprise before catching Callie's eye. The brunette's hand was frozen on the top button of blouse as she stared open mouthed at the woman seated before her.

In the past almost eleven months since they'd last been intimate Callie had frequently thought about Arizona's perfect breasts. But now, seeing them unconfined by a bra for the first time in the longest time, Callie remembered just how perfect they were. "Oh God…" She whimpered. The things this woman did to her just by sitting there!

The brightest smile spread on Arizona's face as she gestured for Callie to come closer before helping her with the buttons that she was still too awestruck to undo. As Callie's shirt and bra fell away, Arizona got her turn to stare, the grin on her face spreading wider and wider until she mashed her lips up against Callie's again, relishing in the feel of skin on skin as Callie leaned against her. "I love you so much Callie." She whispered as their lips parted again and she rested her forehead against the brunette's.

"I know you do." Callie raised her head and placed a peck on Arizona's nose. "I love you too. Do you want to…" She gestured with her head towards the bedroom.

"Uh-huh." Arizona whispered breathlessly. She'd never wanted anything more in her life but then she looked down at her discarded crutches and frowned. That wasn't a very sexy way to get from the kitchen to the bedroom.

Following the blonde's eyeline, Callie looked down at the metal crutches and then back up at her girlfriend, using a gentle finger under Arizona's chin to raise her head. It made her sad to see the uncertainty that was slowly creeping back into Arizona's blue eyes. Desperate to keep Arizona's insecurities at bay, Callie pressed her lips to the blonde's again for a brief moment before pulling back and smiling as she tucked a lock of hair behind Arizona's ear. "I've got a fun way of getting to the bedroom that doesn't involve crutches."

"Oh?" Arizona's eyebrows shot up and Callie was happy to see that the look in her eyes was now more questioning than doubtful.

"Mmhmm," Callie said with a grin as she grabbed the other woman's jean clad leg and guided her to wrap it around her waist. Callie's strong arms then pulled Arizona back off the counter and she slipped a hand under the blonde's bottom as Arizona threw her arms around Callie's neck with another surprised squeal. As she held her partner chest-to-chest Callie was once again grateful for her chosen profession, if only for the fact that breaking bones for a living enabled her to easily carry the diminutive blonde. "Sit back and enjoy the ride." Callie said with a grin. "Or you know…" She shrugged one of her bare shoulders as her eyes twinkled. "You could kiss me."

"I like option two." Arizona said softly before pressing her lips to Callie's as they started towards the bedroom. When they passed through the doorway, Arizona stopped their lip lock and pressed her cheek against Callie's for the rest of the ride. She felt so so loved and so safe in this moment as her girlfriend sat down on the bed. "Thank you Callie." She rested her knee on the bed as she semi-straddled the brunette's thighs. She felt bad for resting most of her weight on her girlfriend because what remained of her left leg didn't quite reach the bed, but Callie didn't seem to care at all as her lips started trailing delicate kisses down Arizona's chest.

Callie's fists kneaded into Arizona's hips as she continued her kisses back up across Arizona's collarbone to the base of her neck. "Still too many clothes." She whispered before sucking gently on the blonde's pulse point while Arizona's nimble fingers got to work on the zipper of Callie's jeans. Arizona laced her thumbs under the waistband of Callie's panties and slid her pants and underwear down her hips until the bed Callie was sitting on prevented her from going any further.

Arizona quickly rolled off her girlfriend as Callie jumped up and shoved her pants the rest of the way down, kicking off her shoes and starting a pile of clothes on the floor. "Beautiful." Arizona breathed as she propped herself up on her elbows, getting a view of Callie's naked figure for the first time in almost a year. "You're beautiful." She spoke louder this time. "You're beautiful and I love you and will you stop just standing there!" Her voice was desperate this time as she pushed herself up and frantically got to work on her own belt buckle before Callie's hands knocked hers out of the way.

Callie slid Arizona's pants and panties down past her hips, past her residual limb, and down her right leg, trailing kisses down her thigh as she worked to quickly rip off Arizona's pants and shoe and add them to the clothing pile. When she was done she sat back on her knees, looking at the figure before her. "God Arizona." Her voice was full of lust as she pushed herself to her feet.

Arizona scrambled back on the bed and lay against the pillows as Callie approached. The brunette quickly climbed onto the bed, straddling Arizona's hips a she grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms above her head before leaning in and pressing her lips against plump pink ones. Callie's pulse quickened as the petite blonde moaned beneath her, their tongues battling for dominance.

When air was necessary Callie pulled back and looked at the woman under her. Arizona's eyes were shut, her lips swollen, her chest heaving. This was right. This was good. This was perfect. The blonde's eyes fluttered open after a few seconds and Callie couldn't look away. "Beautiful." She breathed.

* * *

**I like to leave a little up to the imagination :-D**

**Also, the line, "I've got a fun way of getting to the bedroom that doesn't involve crutches" was inspired by the chicken pox episode when Arizona said, "I have a cure for a headache that doesn't involve coffee."-Props to anyone who made that connection.**

**Also please check out my story "Shock" which is set in the Time Warp universe. It is the scene where Callie learns that Arizona is an amputee told from Callie's POV.**

**But anywho, the next chapter should be more happy Calzona to make up for the current state of Calzona on the show.**

**Though...god damn! Drunk Arizona was funny as hell-first time we've seen that in 5 seasons!**

**Please please let me know what you think. And thanks for sticking with me thus far. I love hearing from y'all!**


	68. Part IX: Ch 5

**Hey guys, thanks for bearing with me. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I'm trying to keep things light as we deal with angsty Calzona on our screens.**

**As usual, Grey's Anatomy is not mine. Enjoy!**

* * *

Callie looked at the sleeping woman next to her. Arizona's messy blond hair partially shielded her face but she just looked so content. So happy with her fist tucked under her cheek, her lips slightly parted releasing soft breaths. The night before, they had reconnected physically for the first time since they had broken up in the airport and it had been everything Callie had imagined and more. Arizona's trepidation and insecurities had vanished as soon as they were in each other's arms and Callie realized that the blonde had needed this just as much, if not more than she had. But as amazing as the sex had been, there was nothing better than waking up wrapped up in each other. Callie would be content to do this for the rest of her life. She grinned as Arizona started to move on the bed beside her, stretching as she started to wake up. "Hi pretty lady." She smiled softly and placed a kiss on the blonde's cheek when blue eyes fluttered open.

"Hi." Arizona whispered, a content smile on her lips as she snuggled up to Callie, pressing their still naked bodies even closer together. "How'd you sleep?" She shut her eyes again and tucked her head into the nape of Callie's neck.

Callie ducked her chin and placed a kiss in soft blonde hair. "Amazing. You?"

Arizona gave a little giggle and nodded her head. "I missed that." She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I didn't think I was ever going to get something like that again."

"What?" Callie's hand froze halfway through the pattern she was tracing on the blonde's shoulder. She wiggled her way out from under her girlfriend, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look down at the woman who now lay on her back. "Why do you say that?" She watched Arizona's eyes track downwards, no doubt looking towards the tell-tale dip in the covers where her residual limb stopped. "Because of your leg?" She didn't need to wait for an answer. "Then screw them Arizona. You are so so beautiful. And funny and smart." She grinned when Arizona's lips morphed into a smile. "And very very sexy." She slipped her hand under the covers and rested against the blonde's naked hip. "But besides, you're my girlfriend and I don't plan on sharing. Sound good?"

Arizona pursed her lips before smiling again and giggling. "Sounds very good. And you're my beautiful, funny, smart, sexy girlfriend and I don't plan on sharing you either." She looped her arms around Callie's neck and pulled her down for a kiss.

"Good." The brunette let out a laugh. She leaned in for another kiss before swinging her leg back over Arizona's hips and straddling the smaller woman just like she had done the night before. Their eyes locked and Callie silently asked permission. Receiving a barely perceivable nod and a smile Callie pressed herself against Arizona and pressed a kiss to her lips before she suddenly found herself on her back with the blonde climbing on top of her. "Wha…how?"

"Calliope," Arizona said with a smile, "Am I hurting you?" She still didn't like that she needed to rest most of her weight on her girlfriend.

The brunette's eyes flashed dark and she licked her lips, finding it suddenly hard to get words out with Arizona's supple breasts right in front of her. "No." She squeaked out, studying the pale white skin in front of her. Her hand came up and she ran it lightly down Arizona's side. "I'm good."

"Good." Arizona leaned forward, capturing Callie's lips with her own, fully intending to trail kisses from her neck to her stomach when she caught sight of the clock on the nightstand. "Crap!" She rolled off her girlfriend and sat up, running her hand through her hair while Callie looked up at her with a pout.

"Arizona…" Callie whined as she reached for the seated blonde, really wanting to continue what they'd started.

"Callie, it's almost 10:00 am. My parents are going to be here for brunch remember? Before we work this afternoon. I have to sign some papers for that lawyer." She grabbed her bedside set of crutches and got out of bed, swinging over to the dresser.

Callie propped herself up on her elbow, thoroughly enjoying her view of her girlfriend's naked butt as she moved around the room on her crutches. She vaguely remembered Arizona mentioning that as they walked home from work the night before, but their make-out session in the elevator followed by a night of passionate and romantic sex had wiped the thought from her brain. "Arizona, relax, it's a quarter till and there's always traffic." She sat up and caught the two pairs of shorts and the two t-shirts that the blonde pitched her way.

"You don't get it. My dad is never late." She came back over to the bed and pulled on her clothes, gesturing for Callie to do the same.

Once they were dressed, they headed out into the living room, Callie chuckling as she trailed behind the frantic blonde. "God, we made a mess last night." She looked around her living room. Arizona's prosthetic and their purses had been dropped by the door and the blonde's crutches from her office and their shirts and bras were thrown on the ground haphazardly in front of the kitchen island.

"We did." Arizona said as she went over to the door. Keeping her balance against the wall she picked up and passed her prosthetic to her girlfriend before sliding their purses onto her shoulder. "But it was fun." She grinned at Callie before making her way over to the coat closet to hang up their bags while Callie gathered the discarded clothes, the prosthetic leg, and crutches, depositing them in the bedroom before shutting the door.

"It was very fun." Callie agreed, sauntering over and placing a kiss on Arizona's cheek. She slid her hand around the blonde's waist and tucked her fingers into the waistband. "Are you going to be okay…with all this lawsuit talk?" Her free hand came up and caressed Arizona's cheek.

"I…I will." She nodded her head confidently before giving the taller woman a smile. "I think my dad is right. I need this. And you were right. I need a leg that doesn't just feel like deadweight. I mean I know they all are but…"

"Some are better than others." Callie completed the blonde's thought with a smile.

"Right. And I'm going to need that. I'm going to need that so that my leg and always having to conserve my energy, always having to choreograph each waking moment isn't the main thing I think about any more. I don't want it to be. I mean I'm not completely over it…I don't think I ever will be but I don't want it to be the first thing that I think about in the morning or the last thing I think about at night. I don't want to be the doctor with the fake leg who works on children. I want to be the doctor who works on children who just happens to have a fake leg. I don't want it to define me. And right now it does. And I mean I'm partially to blame for some of that too. I was angry and in pain and I felt like life dealt me an unfair hand so I dwelled on something that I couldn't change. Something that wouldn't come back. Because it seemed so much easier to do that than to consider a future where I would only have one leg for the rest of my life."

"But now…" She smiled up at Callie who was looking at her with nothing but love and adoration. "Now, I know what my life will be and it looks pretty damn good. So yeah…I'm sure I'll be upset around the anniversary of the crash. And I won't like it if someone makes a rude comment to me. But you know what Callie? I've got this beautiful amazing woman right here who is my soul mate. And there's this beautiful little girl who I love so much. I have my parents. I have my friends. So I think I'm doing pretty good. So I want to do this lawsuit. I want to get it done with so that the option is exhausted and all of it is behind me. I really want to get to the point where my only reminder of the plane crash is the fact that I have to take a few extra minutes in the morning to strap on a fake leg. I want it to become something that our friends aren't constantly thinking about. Because I mean…I'm really appreciative of Mark and Lexie's offer to go out to the field tonight…and I will be taking them up on it because this is still relatively new…but later, a few years down the line, I don't want people making concessions for me because I'm maybe a little different."

Callie's cheeks hurt from smiling and she didn't think her grin could be any wider if she tried. "You are amazing Arizona Robbins. You are amazing and brave and I love you so much." She planted a kiss on the blonde's lips, caressing her cheek before pulling away when a knock sounded at the door.

"That'll be my parents." Arizona groaned as she pulled away. She took a few hopping steps towards the door before turning back to her girlfriend. "Thank you. And Callie? I love you too."

* * *

Brunch with her parents had actually gone surprisingly well and Arizona had managed to stay in relatively good spirits despite more talk about the plane crash. After going through the flight records from the day of the crash, her father's lawyer wanted to file a claim that the Carter Madison foundation had been negligent. That scheduling the blonde doctor to fly out on an unsafe plane had ultimately resulted in her loss of limb.

Arizona didn't know if the argument would stand up in court. She would just have to trust the lawyer. And that was something she was willing to do. So after one of Callie's delicious breakfasts with her family, Arizona had written out her statement, much of which would be compounded by her medical and therapy records from Baltimore, San Diego, and Seattle. Now things were in the hands of the court…if it even went to court. Arizona wasn't going to let that bother her as she returned her crutches to her office before stepping back out on the peds floor. She had one scheduled surgery later in the day that should only last a couple hours before she and Callie were going to the softball field to meet Mark and Lexie.

Arizona had to admit that she was excited for tonight. After the rather disappointing practice a few days earlier, she had been upset that she wouldn't be able to participate in her favorite sport. But now, thanks to her friends, she had another chance and she was more than ready to get back in the game.

However, before surgery or softball, she had a promise to fulfill. Dropping her lab coat at the nurses' station, she picked up a chart that she knew by memory and walked into the patient's room. "Hello Abbie." Her face lit up when she saw the little girl. No longer in her bed, Abbie was propped up on crutches, a rudimentary prosthetic affixed to her left leg.

Abbie's face lit up too. "Arizona! Look! Dr. Moore said I could take it home and keep practicing."

"Abbie, why don't you take a few steps for Dr. Robbins." Her father suggested gently.

The little brunette nodded her head enthusiastically, removing the crutches from under her arms and reaching for her dad.

Before the tall man could step up and provide a stabilizing hand for his daughter, Arizona stepped in. "Here. I've got you." She placed her hands beneath the girl's elbows, providing the support she needed to take one, and then another, wobbly step forward. As Arizona moved slowly backwards, the girl kept coming until they got to the doorway and the blonde pulled her young patient into a hug. "I am so proud of you Abbie." She held her tight for a moment, resting her cheek against chestnut brown hair before she pulled back and caught the girl's eye.

Both of them had tears in their eyes as Arizona gestured for Mr. Greer to bring Abbie her crutches. Once the girl was again comfortably situated on the bed, Arizona lifted herself up beside her and put an arm around her. "You are going to do great things. And don't let stupid people upset you. They're not worth your time."

"I promise I won't. And I promise I am going to try out for the track team once I can run. I think you should play softball again too." Abbie smiled up at the doctor who had saved her life in more ways than one.

Arizona couldn't help but smile. "I am. Tonight actually. Because of you." She fished around in her pocket and handed the little girl her business card. "If you need anything okay? That's my office number." She looked at her patient again. This went against the usual doctor-patient relationship, but she and Abbie didn't have a usual doctor-patient relationship and she knew the girl wouldn't abuse what she was about give her. "Actually…" She flipped the card over and grabbed her pen, writing two numbers on the back. "This is mine, and this is Callie…Dr. Torres' phone numbers. We're so proud of you Abbie." She looked at the girl again. "What?" She asked with a chuckle when she noticed the curious look on the brunette's face.

"I'm just wondering…" A smile tugged at Abbie's lips as she took the card Arizona offered her. "Are you and Dr. Torres-"

"Abbie." Her mom reprimanded gently.

Arizona just laughed. "No it's okay. Were you going to ask if Dr. Torres and I were together?" Her smile widened when Abbie nodded her head innocently. "Yes. Dr. Torres is my girlfriend."

"I knew it!"

"Oh?" Arizona's eyebrows shot up in amusement.

"Yeah. I saw her watching you when you were talking to me last night. She really loves you."

Arizona just beamed. "I know she does. I love her too. And you know what. One day you'll find your soul mate. Just make sure you're not looking the other way when they come along." She tapped the girl lightly on the nose before pushing herself off the bed. Leaning over the mattress, she handed the discharge paper work to Abbie's parents before doing one more check of Abbie's healed surgical sites. "Miss Abbie, I am happy to say that you are good to go." Her smile widened as she offered the young girl a hand off the bed and pulled her into one last hug. "Just remember, chin up and be proud of what you've survived."

* * *

**You'll remember that Arizona's last line is what Dr. Webber said to her earlier in the story. **

**I'm sad to see Abbie go. Did y'all like her? Let me know!**

**Also, please let me know what you think of the story! I'd love to hear from you so please review!**

**-MaybeIShouldGetACat**


	69. Part IX: Ch 6

**Hey y'all, thanks for your reviews on the last chapter. I can't believe you pushed me over 800. You are amazing.**

**Many thanks to eelahnie for helping me write part of the softball scene. Without her I would still be stuck on paragraph 7.**

**Enjoy! As always, Grey's isn't mine. Neither are any songs, products, etc. mentioned.**

* * *

"Heads up!"

Heeding the warning, Arizona's head shot up in time to see a rogue pitch bouncing over the backstop and popping into the air, heading towards the bleachers where she sat with Callie and Sofia. While Callie let out a little shriek and shielded her daughter Arizona easily plucked the ball out of midair and tossed it back over the backstop to Lexie. "Careful. Sloan you may be a worse pitcher than Teddy." She laughed as she bent down to finish tying her shoe.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly as he jogged over to them. "You almost ready to play Robbins?"

"Yes." She quickly kissed Callie's cheek before she stood and grabbed her glove, taking his offered hand for support as she walked down the bleachers.

He walked with her onto the dirt pitch. "Do you want to bat or field first?"

Her eyebrows shot up in amusement as Lexie walked over to join them. "Are you pitching?" She couldn't resist teasing the man after the attempt she'd just witnessed.

"No." Lexie laughed as she rubbed Mark's arm lightly. "I am. Want to warm up?"

The blonde nodded, adjusting her ball cap and walking down the baseline towards first. She was nervous and excited. It reminded her of her softball days in college. The quiet during warm-up, the thrill of the first pitch, the crack of the bat sending the ball deep into the outfield. She felt herself smiling as she traipsed the rest of her way to her base, stopping a few feet away and turning to face Lexie.

"I'm just going to send Mark a few pitches first." Lexie informed the blonde before stepping onto the pitcher's mound, a look of determination on her face as she stared down her boyfriend. Arizona watched with a grin as Lexie cracked her neck and jumped up and down a few times before repositioning herself- the two of them really did have a lot more in common than she had thought.

Arizona waited for it, the telltale signal that Lexie was going to release her pitch. _'There it is.'_ She watched as the brunette quickly glanced to her left before raising her glove and ball above her head and stepping back on her left leg. Her arms quickly came down, her right hand smacking her thigh before she leapt forward, whirling her arm around and releasing the ball. Straight over home plate.

Mark tossed it back and Lexie caught it effortlessly. Arizona glanced over at the bleachers as Callie cheered Lexie on. The blonde felt like doing the same. Why hadn't Lexie been pitching at practice? They might have a shot at winning with the young surgeon on the mound. And it may have spared Arizona her injured arm.

Hearing Callie's cheers, Lexie smiled before turning her attention back to Mark. Arizona watched her release another flawless pitch that slammed into Mark's glove. The pediatric surgeon raised her eyebrows and let out a low whistle as she looked back towards her girlfriend. She was unsure if Callie could see her impressed expression but she assumed they were on the same page. They usually were these days.

The blonde's attention was drawn back to the field as Lexie caught Mark's throw and turned to face first base. "You ready?" The young woman asked.

Arizona nodded and repositioned herself so that she was standing with her legs slightly apart, careful to make sure there was no uneven terrain. She watched Lexie prepare to throw. "Hey wha- what are you doing?" She questioned as Lexie tossed her a simple underhand throw that Arizona barely tipped with her glove as it fell a foot short.

"Baby steps Blondie. You've got to crawl before you can walk." Mark jogged over from home plate.

Arizona scowled at him. "Don't talk to me about baby steps Mark. I'm painfully familiar with them." She watched as his face fell and she immediately felt bad. She sighed and mentally reprimanded herself. "I'm sorry." She said sincerely, giving him a weak smile.

"It's okay." He squeezed her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile of his own before bending over and picking up the ball that had dropped at her feet. "How 'bout you show us what you've got and we'll follow along. Sound good?"

Arizona's lips twitched up into another smile and she nodded her head. Stepping back to her base, she stretched her arm across her chest before grabbing the ball out of her glove and weighing it in her hand. It was a familiar feel…comforting in a way. She'd enjoyed softball in college, it was a good little escape when pre-med studies became too overwhelming. With a little smirk, she shook her head to dispel the memory and looked out at the field. She shifted her weight around a little bit and stepped forward on her left leg several times, focusing on driving her residual limb into the socket to maintain her stability with the movement. Satisfied she repositioned herself and shouted for the other woman's attention, "Lex. Ready?" When she got a nod she leaned back on her right leg before driving her left leg forward and powering a throw into Lexie's glove.

That satisfying _thwack_ of the ball hitting the leather was all she needed for another smile to light up her face. She had this. She could do this. And it seemed that Callie had realized this too because the Latina was cheering loudly from the bleachers with Sofia's excited squeals joining the ruckus.

Lexie and Arizona shared a look. No longer doctors, they were just two college ball-players with high respect for the other's craft. If they played pitcher and first base during the actual game, they'd be unstoppable. With the slightest tilt of her head, Lexie questioned if the other woman was ready and with a twitch of the fingers on her bare hand, Arizona indicated that she was. Before she knew it, the ball was coming back at her and she reflexively snatched it out of midair, taking a small step back to tag the base before quickly throwing it back to her pitcher.

They continued tossing the ball around for several minutes as Arizona tried to judge how much she could move before losing her balance. A few times she misjudged how far she could step or how fast she could move and would stumble but quickly righted herself before tossing the ball back. It was exhilarating and as they switched from fielding to batting, Arizona suddenly found herself excited for the real game that was just several days away.

Straightening the batting helmet on her head, she walked over to the fence and made eye contact with Callie as she linked her fingers through the chain link and leaned in. "Come here." She spoke quietly when she realized Sofia was asleep in her mother's arms.

With a sweet smile, Callie shifted the sleeping infant into one arm and walked over, leaning in so that they could share a light kiss through one of the openings in the fence. "You're doing great out there."

Arizona smiled too as she reached a few fingers through the fence and stroked Sofia's hair. "I'm having a lot of fun. I think this is the most fun I've had in a while…except for…" Her grin turned into a smirk and they both knew that she was talking about their amazing sex from the night before.

With a laugh Callie leaned in and got another kiss from her girlfriend through the fence before pulling back and starting to walk back to the bleachers. "How 'bout a repeat performance tonight."

Arizona could hear the grin in Callie's question even though she couldn't see her face. And she was pretty sure her grin was identical. "Perhaps."

* * *

With Sofia asleep in her crib, Callie stood under the water in her shower, unwinding after a long day. Strangely turned on by the sight of her girlfriend smashing ball after ball into left field during batting practice the brunette was disappointed that Arizona hadn't come home with her. It wasn't that she was expecting to spend the night alone…no no, Arizona would be back soon, she just had to swing by her condo to talk to her parents and pick up some more clothes. But Callie wanted the blonde with her here now.

She sighed as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair before reaching out of the shower to dry off her arm and turn on her radio. She smiled as a song started.

_**Would you dance, if I asked you to dance?**_

She closed her eyes and started to hum along as the music filled the spacious bathroom and the warm water beat down on her shoulders. Memories of their first date dancing in this very apartment running through her mind.

_**Would you run, and never look back?**_

Arizona had run to Africa but she came back. She came back for Callie. Pushed herself through months and months of painful recovery to come back to the woman she loved. Callie's lips turned up in a smile as she remembered the video Daniel showed her of Arizona taking her first steps on her prosthetic. Arizona was fighting for her.

_**Would you cry, if you saw me crying?**_

"_I am a good man in a storm." _Callie had been heartbroken by her father's inability to accept who she was and Arizona was there. Arizona had comforted her when she was crying and had convinced Carlos Torres not to cut his daughter out of his life. The brunette started to sing along to the music as she reached for the bottle of conditioner.

"_**And would you save my soul, tonight?"**_

They saved each other. There was no doubt that. Callie's voice rose with the music.

"_**Would you tremble, If I touched your lips?"**_

Both of their first kisses at Joe's had left her with butterflies in her stomach, as did every kiss they shared. There was something about that woman that was irresistible.

"_**Would you laugh? Oh please tell me this."**_

Callie grinned when she thought about the blonde's carefree, childlike giggle as she played with Sofia.

"_**Now would you die for the one you loved?"**_

Sadly, Arizona had almost died to come back to the woman she loved but she survived. She survived and they…

"_**Hold me in your arms, tonight."**_

…were together. They loved each other and none of the rest of it mattered. Callie would want to hold Arizona Robbins in her arms every night for the rest of her life. Of that, she was certain.

As the chorus started and Callie belted out the words, she was unaware of the bathroom door quietly opening.

"_**I can be your hero, baby."**_

Arizona was her hero.

_**"I can kiss away the pain."**_

With her soft kisses everything felt better.

_**"I will stand by you forever."**_

Callie would never let Arizona go ever again.

_**You can take my breath away."**_

The grin was on her face as she sang her heart out, singing for the woman who she loved more than anything. As the music quieted before the start of the next verse she became aware of movement in the bathroom and opened her eyes in time to see the shower door sliding open.

Arizona stood before her, completely naked, her hair brushed out in soft waves, with a soft smile on her lips. "Your voice is beautiful Calliope."

* * *

**The song is "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias. I don't own it. I just love it and think it's perfect for Calzona.**

**And back to studying for me. Follow me on twitter at The_Time_Warp.**

**Please please please let me know what you think!**


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